


Honestly, We're Just Making It Up As We Go

by Lenni51074



Series: To The Moon And Back [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Because Keith is involved so of course there's angst, But we love our emo space baby, Change in team dynamics, Everyone else: Keith no!, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hunk is a good bro, Implied Sexual Content, Keith is a hot-head, Keith: Keith yes!, Lance Is a Good Bro, Life Bonds, Matt Holt is a Good Bro, Mostly Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 35,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23679325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lenni51074/pseuds/Lenni51074
Summary: The Paladins, still trying to deal with the loss of Shiro, try to figure out the best way to move forward. Keith in particular is devastated by his mentor’s disappearance, and his constant loss of temper causes tension within the team. Shifting roles within the team cause internal struggles as each Paladin tries to adapt to the sudden changes.Although Zarkon has been defeated, a new threat from the Galra Empire appears, and it may be even more deadly than the Emperor.The Voltron Coalition continue to chip away at the Galra’s control of the universe, freeing an inceasing number of planets from their oppressive rule.Your relationship with Keith begins to unravel as he is drawn closer to the Blade of Marmora in his quest to discover more about his Galra lineage. However, a long-lost friendship is rekindled, which slowly helps to remind you that even though Keith might not be around as often anymore, you are still surrounded by people who love you.
Relationships: Allura (Voltron) & Reader, Coran (Voltron) & Reader, Hunk (Voltron) & Reader, Keith (Voltron)/Reader, Lance (Voltron) & Reader, Matt Holt & Reader, Pidge | Katie Holt & Reader, Shiro (Voltron) & Reader
Series: To The Moon And Back [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654015
Comments: 87
Kudos: 76





	1. One Paladin, Two Paladin, Red Paladin, Blue Paladin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Paladins work to build a coalition of rebels, Allura makes a suggestion that rattles the team. Keith handles it about as well as you’d expect. 
> 
> You, Keith and Lance struggle to adjust to big changes – and unexpected new roles - within the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter as it combines two episodes - Series 3, Episode 1 “Changing of the Guard” and Series 3, Episode 2 “Red Paladin”

Keith scowled as the two of you searched the debris field for any sign of life. The radar continued to scan the area, but nothing appeared apart from the broken remains of the Galra fleet. Not a blip. Nothing.

He hadn’t wanted to believe it – none of you had – but now he had no choice.

Shiro was gone.

“There’s nothing out here, Coran,” he reported. You squeezed his shoulder sympathetically as he let out a huge sigh.  
  
“I’m sorry, Keith,” the Altean replied sadly

“We’re coming home.”

Keith turned the Red Lion around, heading back to the Castleship. The two of you flew back in silence, sombre at the thought of trying to form Voltron without the Black Paladin.

**************************************

Everyone was gathered in the lounge area, Lance and Hunk still in their Paladin armour after recently arriving back from their misson to Puig.

“They haven’t figured out their flatbread situation yet, but what they do with those centipedes is just out of this world.” As usual, Hunk was focused on the more culinary aspects of the mission. He had expressed the very firm opinion, on more than one occasion, that food was at the heart of all diplomatic matters.

“And they are totally ready to join the fight against the Galra,” Lance informed Allura, remembering the real reason for their visit to Puig.

“Nice!” Pidge smiled.

“We brought back a few of their leaders to join the coalition,” Hunk continued.

“That’s splendid, excellent work!” Allura cried happily.

“You know, I gotta say, this is what it’s all about… freein’ the people, lovin’ the ladies, then bombin’ down the road again looking for adventure, Voltron-style,” Lance grinned as he showed off photos of himself with the adoring Puigian females. Pidge looked decidedly unimpressed. You rolled your eyes at your flirtatious friend.

“Which brings up a little issue,” Hunk mentioned reluctantly. “They all want to see Voltron, only we don’t really _have_ Voltron anymore.”

Keith glared from his position on the couch. “We don’t have Shiro anymore, either. Everyone seems to have forgotten that.”

“We haven’t forgotten, Keith,” you admonished him. Being told off just made him even more sullen.

Allura took a deep breath, seemingly reluctant to speak. “It may be difficult for us all to accept, but it is time to think about finding a new pilot for the Black Lion.”

All of you looked at the princess in surprise, before Keith leapt to his feet angrily. “No! I’m gonna find him! Shiro is the one person who never gave up on me. I _won’t_ give up on him.”

He stalked out of the lounge room, while the rest of the team looked at each other sadly.

You stared after him, trying to think of a way to help him deal with the loss of his mentor, and coming up blank.

**************************************

Allura, Coran and the Paladins all sat around the dining table, together with multiple aliens who had recently agreed to join the alliance against the Galra Empire.

“It is our honour to have you all here together,” Allura said sincerely, looking at everyone in turn. She had donned her traditional Altean gown, rather than the more utilitarian outfit she normally wore, to bring a sense of formality to the meeting.

“I had the biggest bunker back on Puig, but it wasn’t nearly this nice,” replied the Puig representative, looking around the dining hall with wide eyes. You took an immediate dislike to him. It seemed that he was only interested in the possible riches that an alliance with Voltron could bring him, rather than in developing and maintaining peace throughout the universe.

A green alien said, “Well, I spent the last decade sleeping in a spiny thistle thicket. You look wonderful, though, Princess. I’m glad I put on my best tarp.”

Allura smiled at him graciously.

Hunk appeared, an apron over his Paladin armour, carrying a small tray of delectable looking treats. “Welcome, everyone, welcome! I’ve prepared a few Earth canapes for our distinguished guests to enjoy while we talk galactic diplomacy.”

Before the guests could eat, Kolivan stood, causing some of the others to look askance at the large Galra. “The Blade of Marmora has gathered this intelligence.”

He brought up a hologram of the universe. “As you can see, the Galra Empire is still the most massive ruling force the universe has ever seen. The sheer size of it is almost incomprehensible. It seems like it could rule another ten thousand years.”

A small creature stopped mid-bite, shaking in fear at Kolivan’s announcement.

Lance turned to you with a frown. “Not the way I would have started this pep talk, but okay.”

Kolivan continued, unperturbed. “However, we are beginning to see an increase in rebel activity throughout the Empire.”

The holographic map lit up to show various rebel locations scattered throughout the galaxies. The alien representatives stared at it in awe.

Allura stood. “We have a strategy to bring these forces together, free more planets, grow our numbers and accumulate an army that can defeat the Galra in major battles.”

The hologram faded, and she looked at her guests seriously. “But without your help it will be impossible.”

A purple alien spoke with an electronic voice. “The forces will all fight behind Voltron, right?”  
  
The Puig man nodded. “Yes, where is Voltron?”

Allura’s face grew alarmed, before gesturing to each of you in turn. “Th-the people you see before you are the Paladins of Voltron. Together, they pilot the mighty Lions that form the great warrior.”

The Puig man seemed pleased. “Excellent! Can they form Voltron now?”

“Uh, well…” Allura floundered.

Your voice was scathing as you responded to the Puig representative. “Voltron is not a performing monkey that the Paladins can just trot out for your entertainment. Voltron is the Defender of the Universe. We form it only when it is absolutely necessary.”  
  
Allura looked at you gratefully.

The Puig opened his mouth to speak again, but Keith responded angrily. “We can’t form Voltron, okay? We can fly the Lions, but Voltron is not happening.”

The representatives gasped, looking disheartened.

Allura spoke hastily. “What he means is that right now they can’t do it, but - ”

“But nothing,” Keith snarled. “Shiro is gone. He was the Black Lion. And until we find him, there _is_ no Voltron.”

Kolivan stood once more. “The Lions are still a substantial fighting force, and this Castle is also a considerable weapon. The Blade of Marmora can lead you.”

The purple alien spoke in a hostile tone. “My people have been enslaved for centuries by soldiers who look exactly like you.”

“Yes!” cried the Puigian. “Our people have heard the legend of _Voltron_ , how _he_ defeated Zarkon. That is what gave them hope. What are we supposed to tell them now?”

Keith slammed his hand on the table as he stood up. “Tell them to stand up and fight for themselves! Voltron is gone!”

He stormed out of the room, leaving everyone staring after him.

Hunk chuckled weakly. “Pizza roll? Pig in a blanket?”

The Puig man raised a finger. “I’ll have a pizza roll.”

**************************************

You found Keith in his room, his Paladin armour discarded in favour of his civilian clothing. He stretched out on his bed, glaring at the ceiling.

“So, I think that meeting went really well,” you said sarcastically.

Keith snorted. “Those idiots don’t want to do anything to help themselves. They just want to rely on Voltron to save them.”

You sat down on his bed, and he rested his head on your lap. You carded your fingers through his dark hair, and he wrapped his arms around your waist. This position had become a source of comfort for him over the past few weeks, and he had often come to you for reassurance whenever he was feeling vulnerable. It had become a much more common occurrence in the days since Shiro had disappeared.

“Do you want to talk about it?” you asked, knowing full well that he probably wouldn’t.

“I can’t do it, Y/N,” he mumbled into your midriff. “I can’t lead this team.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure you could if you really tried,” you said gently. “But maybe you won’t need to.”

Keith turned his head to look at you sceptically.

“Think about it. There’s no guarantee that the Black Lion will choose you. It might choose one of the others, so you’re really worrying about nothing.”

“But Shiro…”

“What Shiro wanted may not be what the Black Lion wants,” you pointed out. “Who knows? It might choose me.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Great. So then you get to boss me around even more than you do now.”

You poked him in the ribs. “It could be worse. The Lion could choose Lance.”

Keith shuddered. “No, thank you.”

Your face grew serious. “I know you’re scared, Keith. We all are. The thought of this team without Shiro… it’s a terrible prospect. But we have to face the reality that he is not here. Hopefully it’s only a temporary thing, but we need to face the fact that it might be permanent.”

Keith sighed heavily. “I just… I can’t… he can’t be gone forever, he just can’t.”

“I really hope he’s not. But if he is, then we need to deal with it. We _need_ a Paladin for the Black Lion, because without one we can’t form Voltron. We all have to do what we can to make it work.” You caressed his face gently, staring into his eyes. “So you need to put on your big boy pants, and do what needs to be done. Shiro believed in you, and I do, too.”

Another sigh. “I just don’t know if I can do it.”

“Of course you can. Because you’ll have me to help you.” You stood up, holding out your hand. “So come on, Flyboy. Let’s go see which one of us is going to be the boss from now on.”

Hesitantly, Keith placed his hand in yours, and allowed you to lead him to the hangar where the Black Lion lay, awaiting its new Paladin.

**************************************

Keith stood in front of the Black Lion as it lay sprawled motionless on its side. You stood next to him, his hand in yours, fingers interlaced. You could feel the pain and sorrow coursing through him, and it broke your heart.

“Keith, we will get through this, okay? I’m here for you,” you told him.  
  
He squeezed your hand gratefully, eyes still on the Black Lion.

The others came into the hangar and stood behind the two of you. You turned to look over your shoulder, and Lance stepped forward. “Hey man… listen. We all miss Shiro. I remember what a thrill it was just to meet him for the first time when the two of us carried him out of that Garrison hospital.”

“I grew up with my dad and Matt telling me stories about him,” Pidge added. “He was a legend at our house.”

“The guy taught me everything I know about being a pilot!” Hunk enthused. “Which isn’t much. But that’s more on me.”

“I’ve known Shiro since I was six years old,” you added. “He always encouraged me to do what was right for me, even if it wasn’t what everyone else thought I should do. I loved him for that.”

Lance searched Keith’s eyes with his own. “You’re not the only one hurting, man. We’re all right there with you. But you know that he would be the first one to tell us that we have to move on.”

Keith gazed at him, his expression steely.

Allura stepped forward. “Keith, I know exactly how you feel. But our mission is bigger than any one individual, even those who are completely irreplaceable.”

He turned his icy gaze upon the princess, before sighing heavily. “I know you’re right.” He stood straighter, his expression one of determination. “It’s time to figure out how to reform Voltron.”

**************************************

In the Castle’s lounge, the team sat together, trying to figure out how to reform the Defender of the Universe. Keith stood apart from the rest of you, sulking as he leant against the wall, his expression dark.

“I wish Shiro were here to tell us how to go on without him,” Lance said wistfully.

“Allura, when we came here, you told me I would fly the Green Lion, and I thought there was no way,” Pidge told the princess. “But then I found it, and I flew it. And then Hunk flew the Yellow Lion, and he’s not even a pilot. In fact, you told everyone who would pilot which Lion.”

Hunk nodded vigorously. “Yeah, how did you do that? Did we ever find out how you did that? Can you do that now?”

Allura shook her head. “Sadly, no. When you arrived at the Castle, I immediately recognised the special qualities in each of you. But I don’t know how to search the entire universe for a new Paladin.”

Coran looked to where Keith was standing. “Keith, you piloted the Black Lion when you had to save Shiro. Perhaps you’re the one.”

Lance snorted. “Keith would be the _worst_ leader of Voltron.”

You felt your hackles rise at Lance’s instant dismissal of Keith. For all that you loved your best friend, his constant rivalry with the Red Paladin was driving you insane. You knew Keith could be a great leader if he truly wanted to be. Before you could say anything, though, Pidge piped up.

“Yeah, we all have our thing. Keith’s the loner. I’m the brain. Hunk’s the nice one. Y/N’s the sensible one. Allura’s the decision maker. Coran’s the wise old guy, and Lance is the goofball.”

Lance nodded his agreement. “Mm-hmm. Yeah, exactly. Totally right… Wait a minute.” He looked scandalised as he realised what Pidge had said about him. “I’m not a goofball! I’m like the cool, ninja sharpshooter.”

Keith scoffed, but you heard the affection in it. “Are you joking?”

Lance leapt to his feet in outrage. “I’m being completely serious when I say I do not want _you_ to lead me anywhere!”

“I don’t want to be the leader! That’s just what Shiro wanted!” Keith yelled, before realising his mistake. He looked away, embarrassed, as the others stared at him.

“What are you talking about?” Hunk asked.

“Nothing,” Keith mumbled.

Pidge stared at Keith. “Shiro wanted you to be his successor, didn’t he?”

Keith didn’t respond, continuing to look away.

“Well, _I_ never heard Shiro say that, and how convenient that you’re bringing it up now, when Shiro’s gone,” Lance growled.

“It’s true, Lance!” you snapped. “Shiro told Keith he wanted him to take over as the leader if anything happened to him.”

“Well, _of course_ you’re going to take _his_ side,” Lance sneered. “You and Mullet just can’t wait to do everything together, can you? Are you going to start finishing each other’s sentences next?”

You glared back at him balefully. “I heard Shiro say it when we were stranded on that desert planet. Are you going to call _me_ a liar as well?”

Keith pushed himself away from the wall and glared at Lance, his hands clenched into fists. “You want the job so badly? You can have it!”

“Now, now, hang on,” Hunk said. “I’ve called the head from the very beginning.”

“What about me?” Pidge cried as she jumped to her feet. “ _I’m_ the one who picked up on the radio waves that led us to Voltron in the first place!”

“Hold your gazurgas, everyone! It’s not our decision to make.” Everyone looked at Coran. “We must allow the _Lion_ to decide.”

“Coran is right,” Allura agreed. “We must _all_ present ourselves to the Black Lion, to see who will bear this glorious burden.”  
  
“What? _You_ , Princess?” Coran gaped at her.

“My father created Voltron. How can I allow others to risk their lives in battle, and not be prepared to do so myself? I _must_ try.”

**************************************

All of you stood in front of the still motionless Black Lion, dressed in your Paladin armour.

“So, who goes first?” Hunk asked tentatively.

“Should we draw straws?” Pidge suggested.

“I’ve got it!” Coran snapped his fingers. “I’m thinking of a number between one and fifty. Allura, you go first, then Pidge, and then the others.”

“Wait, don’t we get to guess the number?” Lance cried indignantly.

“But I already know the number,” Coran told him condescendingly.

Lance blew out a breath. “Allura, just go.”

Each Paladin took their turn, looking downcast when they were unsuccessful. Lance appeared to take the rejection especially hard.

“It’s useless! The Black Lion hates all of us,” he sulked.

When it was your turn, you sat in the pilot’s seat. Taking a deep breath, you opened your mind to the Black Lion, trying to feel its presence.

“I know that Shiro said he wanted Keith to lead, and if you choose him, I will totally respect that decision. But please,” you begged, hoping the Lion would listen to your pleas. “Please believe me when I say that if you choose Keith, it will break his heart. He doesn’t feel ready for this responsibility. I care enough… I _love_ him enough to take this burden for him if I have to. So please, _please,_ find a way to choose _me_ instead. Let Keith stay with Red.”

You felt that the Black Lion understood your concerns, and yet it remained unmoved. You were not meant to be its Paladin. Sighing, you pushed yourself out of the pilot’s seat and went to join the others.

Keith noticed your defeated expression as you descended from the cockpit, and he felt his stomach drop. Black hadn’t chosen you, despite what he knew would have been your best effort to convince it otherwise.

Allura looked at him. “Keith, the Black Lion hasn’t responded to any of us. _You_ have to try.”

With a heavy heart, he took himself into the cockpit. Sitting down, he looked over the controls, his eyes trying to picture what his mentor had seen in him. Taking a deep breath, he gripped the controls. “I know you wanted this for me, Shiro, but I’m not you. I can’t lead them like you.”

To his horror, the console lit up, and Black’s systems came online.

“Please, _no…_ ” he begged, despair filling him.

The Black Lion stood up with a roar. It had chosen its new Paladin.

Keith looked more upset than you ever seen him as he descended from his new Lion. Lance looked almost as despondent.

Allura smiled softly at him. “I’m proud of you. I wish you were getting the job under better circumstances, but congratulations.”

“Congratulations, Keith,” Pidge echoed.

“Yeah, ditto,” Hunk said.

Keith looked anything but pleased at their congratulations. “No. I don’t accept this.”

The team gasped. Allura said, “You must! The Black Lion has chosen you.”

“I can’t replace Shiro!” he objected. “You guys are right. I’m the loner. I’m not the leader Shiro thought I was.”

Lance placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder, causing a soft gasp to escape him. “Keith, no-one can replace Shiro. But the Black Lion wouldn’t choose anybody it didn’t think was worthy to lead Voltron. I respect its choice, and you should too.”

Keith sighed again, then glanced back over his shoulder. “But who’s going to fly the Red Lion?”

Everyone stared at you when Lance spoke again. “Y/N, of course.”

**************************************

You had stood in front of Red, who refused to grant you entry. Despite your tears and pleading and foot stamping, Red remained stubbornly unmoved, just as the Black Lion had. Typical. Trust your Lion not to want you when it couldn’t have you in partnership with Keith. Stubborn cat.

“Well, it looks like I’m no longer a Paladin,” you humphed as you flopped on the couch. “Red won’t let me in.”

Keith felt a stab of guilt, even as he tried to comfort you. Surely it was his fault that your bond with Red was broken.

Allura had also tried to get Red to respond to her, but it remained silent. She returned sadly to the lounge room, as upset as you were that Red hadn’t opened up to either of you.

“I’m sorry, Princess. I know how much you wanted to pilot the Red Lion,” Coran said softly.

Allura’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m fine. Let’s move on. We must find a new Paladin. Again.”

“A new Paladin? I mean, where would we even start looking?” Pidge asked.

“I vote we get some alien diversity on the team, and I know some cool mermaids who could be good at it,” grinned Lance.

Hunk rolled his eyes. “You just want to see them again.”

“Yeah, exactly!”

“How about those Blade guys?” Hunk suggested.

“Or the Olkari!” Pidge said brightly.

The team jumped as the vid-screen lit up. The face of the Puig leader appeared on the screen. “Voltron! We need your help! The Galrans have returned! Once you left, we were defenceless! My people are trying to hold out, but the Galra are too powerful.”

Allura stood. “The Lions are on their way. Hold your ground and protect your people until we arrive. Voltron stands with you.”

“Thank you, Princess,” said the Puig, before ending the transmission.

As the Paladins headed towards the hangars, Allura stopped Keith. “Keith, the Black Lion has chosen you. You can do this.”

He nodded briefly in acknowledgement, before heading down to the hangar to take up his new role.

Allura turned to you as you stood awkwardly, wondering what to do now that you were apparently no longer needed. “Y/N, why don’t you try and get the Red Lion to respond to you again? Now that Voltron is required, perhaps she’ll let you in.”

You shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”

**************************************

Keith led Pidge and Hunk out of the hangars and towards Puig. “All right, guys. We’re not about to let the Galra take back this planet. Follow me.”

“Where are Lance and Y/N?” cried Pidge.

Keith’s voice rang out from Blue’s hangar. “Lance, Y/N, where are you?”

Lance stood staring at the Blue Lion, sitting implacably behind its force field. “Argh! My Lion’s not responding to me!”

“Sorry, Keith. Red is still refusing to let me in.” He could hear the aggravation in your voice.

“Well, figure it out and catch up with us as soon as you can,” Keith directed, somewhat impatiently.

Suddenly, an enormous Galra ship appeared out of hyperspace. A voice boomed out across the depths of space.

**[Attention, Paladins of Voltron. This is Prince Lotor, son of Zarkon, Emperor-Protem of the Galra Empire. Surrender now, or you will be destroyed.]**

“We’ve been set up!” Pidge cried as the Galra fighter jets attacked.

“Evasive manoeuvres!” Keith shouted. “Everyone watch your backs!”

“Coran, we have to get there immediately!” Allura told her advisor. “Lance, Y/N we need you! The Lions are being attacked!”  
  
“I’m trying!” Lance cried.

“Yeah, Red is still completely unresponsive,” you advised, your tone aggrieved.

“I’m going to see what’s keeping them,” Allura said, heading towards the hangars.

**************************************

You huffed in annoyance as Red continued to ignore your presence. Suddenly, you heard footsteps approaching the hangar.

“Sorry, Allura. Red is still refusing to let me in. It definitely looks like our bond is broken,” you muttered apologetically.

Red roared from behind the force field, and you turned. It was Lance, not the princess, who approached the hangar.

“So, apparently Red is my colour now,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. He felt awkward after your argument over the new leadership role. Lance had never fought with you before, and he didn’t like the feeling.

“Oh. Well, I’d better let you go then.” You turned to leave the hangar. “Good luck out there.”

Lance walked towards the Lion, but Red still didn’t open up. “Oh, come on! Not this again!”

With a frown, you looked back at him. “What’s going on?”

“Blue wouldn’t let me in earlier, and now the Red Lion won’t let me in either, but I know I felt it calling to me.” Lance thunked his head against the force field, which refused to budge. “Maybe I’m not meant to be a Paladin anymore.”

“Well, apparently I’m not either, so I really don’t know what we’re going to do if we can’t form Voltron anymore.” You went and stood next to your friend, keeping some distance between you.

Lance looked at you miserably. “Y/N, I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you before.”

You waved a hand dismissively. “We were all upset about Shiro. It’s fine.”

He shook his head. “It’s not just that. Ever since we rescued Shiro, and found out that you and Keith… were… well… you know. You’re my best friend, and I thought that I’d have you forever, and now you’re spending most of your time with Keith and I feel like I’m losing you.”

“You’re not losing me, silly boy. I’m always going to be your friend,” you said softly.

“But it’s not the same,” he whined. “And then, when Keith told us that Shiro had already picked him to take over as leader, and you sided with him… it just felt like once again Keith was getting everything he wants, and I’m left with nothing.”

“Lance,” you said seriously. “I can assure you that Keith did not want to be the one to bond with the Black Lion. If there was any way he could have ensured that _you_ – or anyone else – would be chosen to lead the team, he would have moved Heaven and Earth to make it happen.”

Lance quirked an eyebrow at you, clearly disbelieving what he was hearing.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, you spoke again. “It meant a lot to him that you accepted the Black Lion’s decision. I honestly think that he wouldn’t have made peace with it if you hadn’t supported him.”

“Really?” Lance sounded surprised.

“Yes. Despite the words that come out of his mouth, Keith actually values your opinion. I don’t think anybody else could have got through to him.”

“Huh.”

“And I just wanted to say ‘thank you’,” you told him. At his dumbfounded gaze, you continued. “I know how much it hurt that Keith got chosen to lead the team instead of you, but you sucked it up and accepted it and gave him your support. I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of you than I was in that moment.”

“Thanks, cutie.” Lance smiled, and you pulled him in for a hug, which he eagerly returned. It felt almost like old times.

The two of you jumped back when the force field suddenly dropped. You glared at the Red Lion. “Are you serious right now?”

Lance turned his puzzled gaze upon you. “What are you talking about?”

With a huff, you stalked up the ramp that was now lowered. “Apparently, Red has decided that two Paladins are better than one.”

Lance grinned. “Hey! So I get to fly with you after all!”

You grinned back. “Let’s get out there, Pretty Boy. Our new leader needs our help.”

**************************************

Keith gasped as the Black Lion was hit by the Galra ship’s ion cannon. “I’m okay, but we can’t fight this guy alone.”

He turned as he noticed something heading towards them. Lance’s voice sounded… from the Red Lion. “You won’t have to!”

“Hope you saved some for us!” you added as Red swooped in, firing its tail cannon at the warship.

“All right, let’s see if we can turn our attention on that ship,” Keith said, the relief in his voice evident now that Red had joined the fight. The Lions all fired at the Galra ship in an attempt to divert it from the Castle.

Lance whooped with delight. “Woohoo! Boy, this Lion can move!”

His delight soon turned to panic as he noticed he was heading towards the Galra ship much faster than anticipated. He narrowly avoided crashing into the ship before correcting Red and heading away.

“Hey! Be careful with Red!” Keith barked.

“Oh, fly your own Lion, Keith!” Lance retorted, before crashing into one of the Galra jets. “I meant to do that!”

“Wow! We are kind of a mess!” Pidge said in disgust. “We need to get organised. Keith, what should we do?”

“I don’t know! We need to form Voltron, but we’re short a Lion.”

“Not anymore,” you heard Allura call out.

All of you stared as the Blue Lion flew towards you.

“Awesome!” Hunk cried.

Before Keith could get everyone to form Voltron, the Galra fleet retreated. It wasn’t the least bit suspicious.

“We did it!” Lance said.

“It was a little touch and go there, but yeah, we made it,” Hunk added.

“Allura, you and the Blue Lion?” Pidge squealed. “How cool is that?”

“Yes, it was a bit of a surprise, but a happy one,” the princess replied.

Your voice was filled with worry. “Now we know that Zarkon has a son.”

“This is… deeply disturbing,” Allura said.

“We need to find out more,” Keith muttered as the team headed back to the Castle.

**************************************

You and Keith sat in your room, arms about each other as you tried to come to terms with the new arrangements within the team.

“So, you and Lance are together in Red, huh?” he asked softly. Along with his usual jealousy of your friendship, though, you also felt amusement seeping through the life-bond.

With a snort, you replied, “Yeah. Apparently that sneaky feline doesn’t trust either of us on our own.”

Keith squeezed your shoulder. “You know it’s not a reflection on you, right?”  
  
“Sure,” you retorted. “Because I’m such a great pilot that I apparently need supervision.”

“I don’t think that’s the reason. I think it’s because Red knows that you prefer to work as someone’s partner. You wouldn’t be happy on your own.”

Damn him for knowing you so well. _Stupid flippity-haired emo._

“Hey, that’s no way to think about your team leader,” Keith teased, hearing your thoughts. “I should write you up for insubordination.”

“Can you even spell ‘insubordination’?”

“Nope.” He huffed. “I suppose if Red _had_ to bond with another Paladin besides you or me, it could have picked someone worse than Lance. I think he’s actually a pretty good choice.”

Keith sounded like he was in pain when he admitted that.

“Awwww, you _do_ like him. I knew it!”

Keith pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “Y/N, I’m glad you’re still with Red. Even though you’re still paired up, rather than on your own, I’m really glad that you’re still a Paladin. This team wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Thanks, Keith.”

He stood up suddenly, tugging you to your feet. “Come on.”

You narrowed your eyes at him suspiciously. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing. Why would I be up to anything?” The innocent gaze didn’t fool you. “Okay, fine. I need to check something out, and I want you to come with me so you can give me some advice.”

“You did something stupid, didn’t you?”

He looked at you seriously. “Prince Lotor left too suddenly. It doesn’t make any sense. I need to figure out what he’s up to. So are you coming or not?”

You rubbed your face with your hand. “I’m probably going to regret this, but yes. I will come with you, if only so that I can prevent you from doing anything too idiotic.”

Keith practically dragged you to the hangar.

**************************************

“Princess, the Black Lion is leaving the Castle!” Coran yelled.

“Keith, where are you going?” Allura cried in alarm.

“I put a tracker on Lotor’s ship,” he replied. “Tell everyone to get their Lions. We’re going after him. You wanted me to lead Voltron… this is how I lead.”


	2. Ugh, Worst Game of 'Follow The Leader' Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith’s burning desire to avenge the loss of Shiro leads him to make a reckless decision, putting the entire team in jeopardy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter aligned with Series 3, Episode 3 “The Hunted”

The five Lions swooped over the planet where Keith’s tracker had located Prince Lotor.

“Lotor’s cruiser is on the other side of the planet,” Pidge noted as she checked her scanner. “At our current speed, we’ll be in attack range within an hour.”

“Good. Hold formation,” Keith muttered. He sounded more tense than you had ever heard; he was having difficulty adjusting to his unwanted new role as team leader.

As the team flew towards the other side of the planet, the Blue Lion veered out of formation, crashing into the Yellow Lion.

“Oops! Apologies, Hunk!” Allura cried.

The princess was still trying to get used to flying the Blue Lion, having bonded with it only hours earlier to become the Pink Paladin. She had advised that pink was the traditional Altean colour to honour those no longer with them, in particular her father and Shiro. You thought it was a lovely gesture.

Hunk grumbled. “Is attacking right now such a good idea? You know, since not everyone is so great with their Lions…”

“Do you mean _me_ specifically?” Allura queried acidly.

“You? No! No way! I didn’t…” Hunk denied, even though he had meant exactly that. “I’m just simply pointing out that more than half of the team are in new Lions. Maybe now is not a great time to bite off more than we can chew.”

“You can blame our hot-headed leader for that one,” Lance suggested from his position in the Red Lion.

You could _hear_ Keith’s eyeroll. “First you want me to lead, and then you complain about how I do it.”

“Calm down, Keith,” you said from your customary position behind the pilot’s seat in the Red Lion. Although your words were neutral, your tone of voice indicated your displeasure.

Your new team leader had dragged you on board the Black Lion only hours earlier, pretending to need your advice, only to go chasing after the Galra Prince and then demanding that the others follow him. The fact that you weren’t bonded to his Lion hadn’t stopped him from taking you along with him on his harebrained scheme. All of your protests to wait for more information had fallen on deaf ears, as usual. Once the others had caught up to him, you had joined Lance in Red, trying to help him get used to the much faster Lion.

Keith took a deep breath as he tried to control his temper. “Prince Lotor is the heir to the Galra throne. We could end his reign right now.”

The others didn’t respond, not really knowing what they could say to that.

Lance flew Red alongside his former Lion. “Allura, you doing okay in Blue?”

“I’m fine. I’ve been flying the Castle for half my life,” she said rather snippily. “I just need a few ticks to adjust to the Lion.”

“Good,” Keith said, eyes fixed firmly on his sensors. “Because we’re going in.”

**************************************

Keith noted a blip on his screen. It looked like a fighter was leaving the main ship. “I’m detecting movement.”

“So much for the element of surprise,” you said almost cheerfully.

The smaller jet headed towards the planet below.

“It’s just a single fighter. Where’s the rest of them?” Hunk sounded just as confused as everyone felt.

“Probably scrambling as we speak,” Keith growled. “Let’s take it out.”

He punched the Black Lion forward, glowering as he noted the fighter heading back towards him. Before he could engage the fighter, the Red Lion flew underneath, knocking the Black out of the way.

“Lance, what are you doing?” you cried, trying not to fall out of the co-pilot’s seat.

“Sorry! Red here is a lot faster than I’m used to,” Lance apologised. He glanced around nervously. “Uh, where’d that fighter go?”

The team looked around, trying to regain sight of the Galra jet, when suddenly laser fire came from behind. The fighter had flown around behind the team whilst Keith was distracted, and had managed to avoid detection. The Black Lion was hit by several blasts, and Keith tried desperately to scramble out of the way.

“Come on, _move!”_ His frustration at Black’s lack of manoeuvrability was evident. He tried to avoid the oncoming fire, but the jet kept hitting him. “I can’t shake him! Someone get this guy off my tail!”

“Coming in on your six!” Pidge told him as she, Allura and Hunk rallied behind the Black Lion. They all opened fire simultaneously, but the Galra pilot was exceptionally skilled, and easily evaded their attack. They were so focused on trying to down the pilot that they failed to notice the jet leading them straight towards Keith.

The Black Lion was hit by the blasts from the Blue Lion. “Allura!” Keith snarled.

“I’m sorry, Keith!” the princess apologised.

Red flew straight past the Black Lion once again. “Seriously, does this thing have brakes?” Lance wailed.

Before Keith could remind Lance to be careful, the Galra jet once again opened fire, hitting the Black Lion on its side. The other Lions were then hit in quick succession, but somehow Allura managed to recover and chase after it in Blue. She was determined to bring down the fighter in order to prove herself as a Paladin, and blasted Blue’s mouth cannon several times.

She was so preoccupied with her task that she didn’t see the Yellow Lion directly in front of her, and crashed into it head on, sending both Lions hurtling towards Red. Luckily, Lance managed to dodge out of the way just in time.

“What’s up with this guy? He’s playing us against ourselves,” Lance said.

“It’s gotta be Lotor,” Keith noted.

“Allura, are you okay over there?” you asked the Pink Paladin, noting that she’d managed to get Blue stable once more.

“I’m fine,” the princess replied. “But these controls are not responding. Not like the Castle. What’s _wrong_ with you, Lion? Do as I command. Move!”

“Maybe someone should suggest to Allura that flying the Lion is different to flying the Castle,” Pidge suggested timidly.

“Hey, I already told her yelling at her Lion wouldn’t work,” Lance huffed. “It didn’t go over well. She yelled at me, too!”

“Yeah, count me out. She scares me when she’s under pressure,” Hunk said.

Allura’s voice was deadly quiet when it sounded over the comms. “I can hear you.”

The three of them screamed in terror.

“Keith, what should we do?” you asked, hoping to avoid a full-blown argument.

“How about this?” he yelled as he flew the Black Lion towards the Galra fighter. “Everyone stay out of my way!”

“Great! Great leadership,” Lance muttered sarcastically.

Black’s mouth cannon fired several blasts at the jet, which turned with astonishing speed and headed back towards Keith. It fired rapidly, hitting Black several times.

With a groan, Keith said, “Okay, this isn’t working. We need to form Voltron. Everyone, in formation!”

The Lions flew in formation, but nothing happened.

“Uh, guys, I’m not really feeling that Voltron feeling!” Hunk whined.

“Keep going!” Keith ordered.

“It’s not happening!” Pidge yelled after several more seconds of no response from the Lions.

“Argh! What is going on?” Keith shouted. His temper was back in full force.

The fighter returned, firing rapid bursts of laser fire at the team, and everyone dispersed. As suddenly as it had appeared, the jet returned to the larger Galra ship, leaving the team staring after it in disappointment.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” Lance muttered.

“So, should we call it quits? Go back, regroup, get a meal?” Hunk suggested.

“No!” Keith said. “I know everyone is struggling, but we can’t let Lotor slip away.”

You shook your head. _‘Keith, I really hope you know what you’re doing.’_

His responding thought was coloured with worry. _‘So do I.’_

**************************************

The Lions followed the Galra jet – which everyone agreed was most likely piloted by Prince Lotor – to a planet that appeared to be covered entirely by electrical storms.

“He’s trying to hide from us,” Keith noted.

“We may not want to follow him,” Pidge advised. “We don’t know what’s in there.”

Keith gave an annoyed huff, then, without warning, he pushed the Black Lion to full throttle, speeding away from the others as he chased after Lotor.

“Keith, what are you doing?” you asked him impatiently. He ignored you, his focus solely on the Galra prince flying through the storm clouds ahead. The others had no choice but to follow Keith into the storms below.

Suddenly, the cockpits in every Lion started to dim, and you heard the crackle of static.

“Guys, we have a problem! My sensors are going crazy,” Pidge said. “I think it’s due to this planet’s atmosphere and what must be strange magnetic poles.”

“We can’t worry about that now. I’m not letting this guy get away,” Keith told her.

“Keith, without accurate sensors or working equipment, we’re not going to be able to tell what’s up or down or where we are or how to get out,” you reminded him. “I say we fall back.”

“No! We keep going,” he contradicted.

“What?” Hunk asked. “All I heard was ‘going’. Are we going back? Is anyone getting all this static?”

Allura’s voice was full of panic. “I’m losing visuals on you all! I need you to slow down!”

“We gotta keep up,” Keith said shortly. “He’s getting away!”

“Guys, I think this gas is messing with our radios,” Hunk said. “We gotta stay close if we want to be able to communicate.”

Lotor flew higher into the storm clouds, and the team pursued him, although Allura was lagging behind.

“I think we made it through the worst of it,” Lance gloated, before he screamed as the Red Lion nearly crashed into a cliff. Thanks to Red’s swift agility, he managed to avoid any real damage.

Allura was not so lucky, crashing Blue into another wall of rock and falling away from the team as she lost control.

“Allura took a hit! I’m going after her!” Hunk veered the Yellow Lion off course, following the princess in the hopes of preventing her from being left behind.

“Hunk!” Keith snarled in frustration. “Argh! The rest of you, stay on me!”

He put on a burst of speed, but the Galra jet was much more manoeuvrable than the Black Lion, and easily avoided him.

“Keith, we have to go back for Allura!” Lance protested.

Keith gritted his teeth, his focus solely on the Galra Prince.

“Keith, you’re splitting up the team!” you cried, your concern for your newest Paladin overriding your desire to put an end to the Galra Empire. “Keith, don’t do this!”

You finally seemed to get through to him. With a scream of vexation, he pulled back, leaving Lotor free to escape. Lance and Pidge followed, hoping to be able to regroup with Hunk and Allura.

“Is everyone okay?” you asked, distressed at the thought of anyone being injured due to this disastrous mission.

“I’m sorry that I slowed us down,” Allura said mournfully. “But the Blue Lion isn’t listening to me!”

“It’s okay, we’re a team, we stick together,” Lance assured her, before adding sarcastically, “Isn’t that right, Keith?”

“It’s not about the team,” Keith retorted. “We have a mission that’s more important than any one of us. We need to find Lotor and stop him. And I plan on doing that _right now._ ”

Before anyone realised what was happening, he punched the controls forward, and the Black Lion took off once again.

Lance quirked an eyebrow at you, and you shrugged. What could you do but follow your impetuous leader? Lance sighed. “Come on guys. We’d better stick together.”

The others were close behind as you scurried after Keith, hoping to keep him in sight.

**************************************

Black’s lights shone dimly through the thick clouds, barely illuminating the way ahead. Static sounded as the systems continued to stutter, the atmosphere interfering with the electrics and comms.

There was no sign of Lotor, and it was making Keith even more irritated than usual, while the rest of the team was also becoming increasingly edgy.

“This is crazy, we can’t see a thing!” Hunk complained.

“Stay together,” Keith told him. “He’s around here somewhere. I know it.”

You saw a flash of movement through an archway of rock not far ahead. “There!”

Keith noticed at the same time. He snarled, pushing the Black Lion forward. The others followed closely, trying not to lose sight of either their leader or the Galra prince. However, just as quickly as the prince’s jet had been sighted, it had then disappeared.

“Where did he go?” Allura queried, as the Lions gathered around each other.

“No clue,” Pidge replied. “Our radars are worthless in here.”

Hunk piped up. “Hey, is it just me, or does anyone else get the feeling this guy is just toying with us?”

“I’m with you, big guy,” Lance agreed. “I’m getting a case of the heebie-jeebies.”

“He must have lured us here on purpose,” you surmised.

A sudden movement captured Keith’s attention. “Up there!”

The Lions barely scrambled out of the way as Lotor flew through the centre of them.

“We need to get out of here!” Hunk cried. “We’ve been led into a trap! The tables have turned! He’s flipped the script! The hunters have become the hunted!”

You really hoped he had run out of clichés.

“Hunk, shouting taglines is getting us nowhere!” Lance yelled.

“Lance is right,” Keith said, to the surprise of everyone. “Remain calm and get ready. He’s going to attack again. Everybody circle up!”

The Lions moved into a circle, backs to each other. Keith continued, “We need to be prepared for anything. As soon as you see him, fire with everything you’ve got.”

It was virtually impossible to see outside, the thick red clouds limiting the team’s visibility, and the radars rendered virtually useless with all the electrical interference from the planet’s atmosphere. You were sitting blind.

Suddenly, Lotor’s jet circled around the team, and Keith’s fury increased. “Now! Fire!”

Keith fired the Black Lion’s mouth cannon, which immediately set off an explosion as it ignited the surrounding gas. The Red Lion fired immediately after, with the same result.

Unfortunately, the explosions did not appear to have been caused by the destruction of Lotor’s jet.

Allura fired, resulting in another explosion, and the Blue Lion was pushed back by the fireball. As she struggled to regain control, Lotor turned his jet on her and attempted to bring her down. She flew away from the team, with Lotor in pursuit, and was soon out of sight.

**************************************

Lance had landed the Red Lion on the planet’s surface. “What happened back there? Where’s the rest of the team?”

Keith’s voice sounded heartbroken as Black landed nearby. “This is all my fault. I followed him right into this trap. Everyone warned me but I didn’t listen. I put the entire team in jeopardy.”

“Yeah, you kinda did,” you agreed gently.

Lance’s voice was more firm. “But now we gotta fix it.”

“You’re right.” Keith took a deep breath and straightened himself. “Let’s go.”

Black and Red flew off in search of the others, Keith determined to make things right before it was too late.

**************************************

Allura’s voice sounded over the comms. “Hailing Pidge and Hunk! Are you Paladins looking for an exit?”

Hunk whooped as he saw the Black, Red and Blue Lions flying towards him and Pidge. “No way! You guys found us!”

“Actually, Allura found you,” Keith admitted.

“She found all of us. She was able to connect with her Lion,” you added proudly.

“Wow! How did you do it?” Pidge sounded impressed.

Allura’s voice was tinged with amusement. “I just had to get into a Lance-type mindset and stop thinking so much.”

“Yeah, think like Lance!” The Blue Paladin paused briefly, before realising that he’d just been insulted. “Wait a minute! Are you calling me dumb?”

“No! I’m calling you a natural,” Allura told him diplomatically.

“Naturally dumb,” Hunk added.

“Yeah, he was born with it,” Pidge chimed in.

“It’s okay, Pretty Boy,” you said consolingly. “It wouldn’t be fair for you to have both looks _and_ brains.”

Lance glared at you and you smiled sweetly at him in return.

You could hear Keith’s grin as he spoke. “Look, I’m glad we’re all making fun of Lance, but we still have to find a way out of here.”

“Follow me, I know a way out,” said Allura. A second later, she gasped as her scanners picked up the Galra fleet which had just exited hyperspace, and was now circling the planet. “Wait a tick. Everyone, we have company. It looks like Lotor called for backup.”

“Oh, man! It’s always something,” Hunk whined.

“We have to form Voltron,” Keith said.

“But we were not able to form Voltron the last time we tried,” Allura reminded him.

“We have to keep trying,” Keith said, hoping to rally the team. “We may have come here fragmented and disorganised, but the only way we’re getting out of here is if we work together. This is _our_ team. Shiro believed in us. We have to believe in ourselves. Who’s with me?”

“Yeah!” the other Paladins cried in unison.

“Now, form Voltron!” Keith shouted.

_‘Wow, Flyboy. You finally sound like a true leader. Shiro would be proud of you.’_

_‘I hope so, sweetheart.’_

You hesitated briefly. _‘I’m proud of you, too.’_

You felt his relief at your praise, as the Lions flew in formation, finally connecting as the new Paladins bonded together and formed Voltron.

**************************************

Voltron burst through the atmosphere of the storm planet, straight into a swarm of Galra ships.

“Hunk! I’m a leg!” Allura cried with delight.

“Pretty cool, right?” The Yellow Paladin sounded quite smug.

Voltron evaded the laser fire of the fighter jets, and headed towards one of the large warships. It started charging up its ion cannon and aimed it at Voltron. Pidge formed the shield, and managed to prevent the blast from destroying the giant robot. She deflected the beam, turning it back upon the warship and thereby causing it to slice itself in half with its own weapon.

Lance then formed the giant sword, and sliced his way through the other warship, resulting in an enormous explosion which took out the majority of the fighter jets.

“Lotor’s getting away!” Pidge said, noting the Galra heir fleeing the scene. “Should we go after him?”

“No,” Keith said reluctantly. “Pushing this team too hard is what got us into this mess in the first place. We’ll face him again when we’re ready.”

“Roger that… team leader,” Lance confirmed, giving you a wink. You grinned at your friend as the team flew back towards the Castle.

**************************************

Keith was silent as the team headed to their rooms. He frowned with confusion as you followed him into his quarters.

“Hey, you did a good job back there,” you said.

He snorted as he flopped onto his bunk. “Yeah. I nearly got us all killed because I was too focused on revenge to think clearly. _Great job._ Some leader I am.”

You forced him to look at you. “Sure, at the start you were impulsive and reckless. But once you realised that you’d made a mistake, you owned up to it, and you made a more mature decision just now. Shiro was right. You _are_ the right person to lead this team.”

“Y/N, I’m not… I can’t lead this team like Shiro did.”

“Of course you can’t,” you agreed. He stared at you with wide eyes, unsure if he should be offended or not. “You’re not Shiro, so naturally you can’t lead the way he did. You’re _you._ You just need to figure out what sort of leader you want to be.”

He sighed. “I don’t know if I can do this.”  
  
“Yes, you can. You just need to believe in yourself. I believe in you, and so do the others.” You smiled at him reassuringly.

Keith pulled you close, burying his face in your neck. “I can’t do this, Y/N. Not without Shiro. I can’t do this on my own.”  
  
You rubbed his back soothingly as you tried to ease his anxiety. “You’re not on your own. You have me, and Lance, and everyone else. We’re all going to take some time to adjust to the new dynamics of this team, but we are going to make it work. You’ll see.”

Keith couldn’t think of a response, so he did the next best thing. He kissed you, hesitantly at first, but then deepening it when you returned it. Just when you thought you were going to pass out from oxygen deprivation, he pulled away, both of you panting heavily. Resting his forehead against yours, he stared into your eyes. “Thank you for believing in me.”

“You need to start believing in yourself.” You pressed another quick kiss to his lips, before reluctantly removing yourself from his embrace. “It’s getting late. I’d better go.”

Keith kept a firm grip of your hand. “Stay.”

“Keith, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea…”

“Y/N, please. Stay with me. I don’t want to be alone.” He looked more lost than you had ever seen him before. “Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is Shiro. I hear his voice. He haunts my dreams and I don’t know how to make it stop. I just… I need you to help me forget, at least for a while.”

He seemed so vulnerable. Your heart went out to him, and you gathered him to you again, hugging him fiercely. “All right. I’ll stay.”

Laying down on his bed, he held you close, letting you trace nonsensical patterns on his torso with your fingers. Just having you near, listening to your steady heartbeat, helped him to think more clearly.

As you finished telling him about some mischief that you and Lance had gotten yourselves into during your Garrison days, in the hopes that you could take his mind off the current situation, Keith turned to you with a soft smile. “I love you, Y/N,” he whispered.

Your eyes widened slightly before you gave him a shy smile in return. “I love you, too, Keith.”

Your life-bond practically sang as the two of you spent the rest of the night in each other’s arms, Shiro and everything else forgotten as you finally admitted your love for one another.


	3. This Is All Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Castle receives a distress signal, and the team finds themselves pulled into an alternate reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter based on Series 3, Episode 4 “Hole in the Sky”.

Your blanket felt more restrictive than usual.

With a groan, you tried to untangle yourself, only to find yourself wrapped up even more tightly.

“Will you stop wriggling?” your blanket mumbled sleepily.

Why was your blanket grumbling at you? And why did it sound like Keith?

Slowly, you peeled your eyes open, and found yourself staring at an unfamiliar wall. Well, not totally unfamiliar. You’d seen it before. Just not first thing in the morning.

A soft kiss was pressed to your shoulder, and a puff of breath tickled your neck. Turning your head slightly, you found yourself looking at a mop of dark hair.

Keith opened one eye. “Morning.”

“Yes, it is…”

Keith loosened his grip slightly, allowing you to turn and face him. A soft smile graced his features. “I’m surprised you’re still here. I was sure you’d sneak off in the middle of the night.”

“Well, I didn’t intend to stay the whole night, but for some reason I was really tired…” you admitted.

His smile widened as he caressed your face with his fingertips. “I’m glad you stayed. I would have thought it was a dream otherwise.”

You gave a wry smile of your own. “To be honest, until just now I thought I _had_ dreamt it.”

Trailing his fingers up and down your back, the young man you were life-bonded to looked deeply into your eyes. “Do you regret it?”

A shake of your head. “Not at all. It was… I don’t even know how to describe it.”

“I know how you feel.” And he did. Your life-bond had rejoiced last night, both of you feeling exactly what the other had. It had made for one of the most intense experiences either of you had ever known.

You kissed him tenderly, enjoying the feeling of his lips on yours. “Do _you_ have any regrets?”

Keith pressed his forehead against yours. “Only that it took me so long to let you know how I feel about you.”

“I knew.”

“Yeah, but it’s not the same as actually telling you.”

Last night was the first time either of you had said the words you’d both been too afraid to utter out loud before. You’d said it to each other several times during the night.

“So, what happens now?” you asked.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’d be happy to stay like this for a bit longer.” Keith pulled you closer and started nuzzling your neck, apparently hoping for a repeat performance of what had transpired only a few hours earlier.

As much as you enjoyed that thought, you tried to remain sensible. “I really think I should head back to my room…”

His attack on your neck continued. “Sweetheart, you just spent the entire night with me. I think it’s a little late to be worried about either of our reputations, don’t you?”

You were having difficulty remembering just why you were trying to leave. “I just don’t want anybody thinking that I’m trying to stay on your good side just because you’re the team leader now.”

“If you leave now, I’m going to have you charged with desertion,” Keith growled.

Your stomach rumbled. “Sorry, team leader, but I think my stomach is telling me that it’s time for breakfast.”

“Let’s order room service,” he whispered, his lips never leaving your skin.

Who cared that this was not a hotel, and that it was pretty much everyone for themselves first thing in the morning? Breakfast in bed sounded like a pretty good idea right about now.

Just as you were starting to think that you weren’t really that hungry after all, a strange beeping sounded, unlike any you had heard previously.

You and Keith gaped at each other for a moment, before hastily jumping out of bed and pulling on your clothes, then racing down the hallway towards the bridge of the Castleship.

**************************************

The alarm was still buzzing as the two of you ran onto the Castle bridge, joining the rest of the team. Lance raised an eyebrow in your direction when he realised that Keith had put his shirt on inside out, and you carried your shoes in one hand; your other hand was firmly entwined with Keith’s, but fortunately he didn’t ask any embarrassing questions. Yet.

“What’s going on?” Keith asked as he took his place at his console.

“Yeah, these have never gone off before,” you noted, hopping unsteadily on one foot as you attempted to tie up your shoelaces.

Lance studied Allura’s face closely, who stood nearby with her hands clasped to her chest and a look of disbelief on her lovely face. “Allura, what is it?”

“Looks like you guys just saw a ghost,” Hunk added, peering more closely at both the princess and her advisor.

“That’s just the thing,” Coran replied, sounding slightly perplexed. “It’s an old Altean distress code. One used by King Alfor’s ships.”

“Could it be? Are we not the last Alteans alive?” Allura’s voice was full of hope.

“Wait,” Keith cautioned. “What if someone’s cloning the signal to try and lure us in?”

“The signal is from an Altean ship, and we are going to find it.” Allura’s face was stubborn, and the team knew better than to try and change her mind.

Coran punched in the coordinates, and Allura opened up a wormhole. The Castle headed in the direction of the distress signal.

**************************************

A ship came into view of the Castle’s windows as it exited the wormhole. It appeared to be stuck in something that looked to you like a cross between a wormhole and a blackhole.

Allura gasped in surprise. “That looks like a Tel-Galax exploration shuttle. One of my father’s deep space vessels.”  
  
Coran checked the data. “According to the ship’s identification code, it’s Commodore Trayling’s ship. But I don’t see any records of its destination or mission.”

“What happened to it?” you asked curiously.

“Is it stuck in a wormhole?” Hunk questioned further.

Coran sounded puzzled. “That’s unlike any wormhole I’ve ever seen.”

Pidge furrowed her brow as she deciphered the information on her scanner. “There is a massive amount of energy emanating from it, centred right where the ship is stuck.”

Allura’s face was set with grim determination. “We have to see if anyone is aboard. They may need our help.”

“We could send a probe over to it, see if we can get some kind of idea what this thing is?” Pidge ventured, looking to Keith for confirmation.

He nodded shortly. “Do it.”

Pidge sent the probe towards the stricken ship, and shortly afterwards the reading came through. She examined it. “The energy shows no signs of radioactive decay and it’s not thermal.”

“It’s not gravitational,” Hunk added. “Our probe is steady on course, and the light is radiating out, not in, like it would in a black hole.”

You turned your puzzled gaze on the team’s resident tech-heads. “But out from where?”

“That energy signature, I know it,” Coran muttered. His brow was creased as he probed his memory. “It’s radiating Quintessence!”

The probe reached the Quintessence-wormhole and was immediately destroyed.

“Ooh! That’s weird,” Hunk muttered.

Lance was shaking his head. “Okay, well, let’s not go anywhere near there.”

“We must!” Allura insisted.

“Hold on. Didn’t you just see what happened?” Hunk pointed to the bits of probe now floating through space.

Allura dismissed his concerns. “Voltron’s compositional strength far exceeds anything else in this universe. We received an Altean distress call, which must mean that someone is alive on the ship. As Paladins of Voltron, it is our duty to help.”

Keith looked even more serious than usual. “Princess, I still think there’s a chance that this whole thing is a trap.”

You and Coran also objected, with the Altean advisor suggesting that the situation was far too dangerous to even consider attending to the ship.

Allura’s gaze grew steely. “I will do it myself if I have to.”

She stormed off the bridge towards the hangars. Keith stood up, staring after her with irritation.

**************************************

Voltron headed towards the distressed ship. You were fuming that the Princess had thrown caution to the wind and had got her way, but Keith reminded you that as she was determined to go regardless, it was better to have the entire team attend rather than let her go alone.

“All right, let’s take it slow,” Keith told the team. “Pidge, any chance you can explain what I’m seeing right now?”

“The Euclidian space around the ship is obviously some kind of anomaly. But the energy source doesn’t originate from anything that registers with my understanding of how reality works.”

Keith blinked. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’.”

“I’ll scan the ship for biorhythms,” Hunk offered. His scanner beeped as it searched for signs of any living beings. “That’s strange. I’m not showing any signs of life on that ship.”

“Maybe not on this half, but there is more to this ship than we are seeing,” Allura told him. “We need to go through there.”

“The glowy, explode-y area?” Lance asked nervously as Voltron headed towards the Quintessence field.

Your own feelings echoed those of your friend. “I do not have a good feeling about this.”

“Pidge, keep an eye on Voltron’s vitals,” Keith instructed. “Everyone, be prepared to abort if things get hairy.”

“Roger that. Ready to abort immediately,” Hunk confirmed.

_‘Exercising caution and advising discretion? Who are you and what have you done with Keith?’_ Fond amusement filled your thought.

_‘I’ve learned my lesson,’_ Keith thought back. _‘I am not about to put this team in danger again unnecessarily. If we have to leave, we leave straight away.’_

_‘Spoken like a true leader.’_

Pidge’s scanner started beeping rapidly. “Guys, my sensors are going crazy. Technically, we should be torn apart that same way the probe was. But somehow, Voltron is completely unaffected by the stress of the spatial distortion.”

Voltron disappeared into the Quintessence field, and contact was lost with the Castle.

**************************************

Voltron was unscathed as it exited the Quintessence field. The front of the Altean ship appeared below.

“We must have crossed through, because that’s the front of the ship,” Pidge said in a subdued tone.

“Wait,” Allura called out. Voltron turned around. “The back half of the ship… it’s gone!”

Voltron was facing back towards the area where the Castle had been, and you were alarmed to see nothing but the moon of a nearby planet, and the vastness of space.

“Coran! Coran, we’ve lost sight of the Castle. Coran, are you there?” Allura tried in vain to reach her advisor.

“Where did he go?” Keith asked, his bafflement evident.

“And where did that planet come from?” Lance sounded even more confused than usual.

“According to my sensors, we’re still in exactly the same place that we were before,” Pidge announced.

Hunk’s voice came over the comms. “Guys, this is gonna sound… strange… but now I’m detecting _multiple_ biorhythms aboard the ship.”

“Alteans,” Allura whispered, her hope obvious.

“Well, it seems like we’ve only got one clue to help us figure out what’s going on,” you muttered. “And it’s floating right over there.”

Everyone stared at the Altean vessel, wondering what they were about to walk into.

**************************************

The ship was eerily silent as you made your way aboard. Allura was in the lead, being the most familiar with the layout of the Altean vessel.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” Her voice echoed in the stillness.

She headed down the corridor, her wrist torch lighting the way. Keith shone his own torch, and the rest of you followed them as they made their way through the ship. A side door opened, and you squeaked in fright. Keith glanced back at you, trying to give you a smile of reassurance. He couldn’t completely mask his own trepidation, though.

“Oh, man, this place is totally freaking me out,” Hunk moaned. “Does it feel like a haunted ghost ship to anyone else? Is it just me?”

“It’s not just you,” you assured him as you floated past him.

Allura and the others had entered what appeared to be the control room of the ship. Allura placed her hand on the sensor pad, and the gravity generator immediately engaged, causing all of you to drop to the floor with a heavy thump.

Keith looked around, not wanting to admit how uneasy he felt at the lack of any life aboard. “So, did the crew abandon ship?”

“I don’t know, but they couldn’t have gotten far without their space sui… Aaaaaargh!” Lance said. He pulled the helmet off a suit which was laying nearby, and let out a startled yelp when he was greeted by a dusty skull. He dropped the helmet and scuttled backwards to where you were standing. “Those aren’t empty!”

Allura’s face grew sad, then resigned. She returned to the sensor, bringing up an old recording.

An old man’s face appeared on the screen in front of you. The recording was filled with static. **[We located the second comet based on King Alfor’s information. We managed to get it aboard, but it seems to be causing massive disturbances. We’re heading back to Altea, but I don’t know if we’ll be able to make it that far. At this rate…]**

The recording was cut off as the man was engulfed in a blinding flash of light.

“What happened here?” you asked uncertainly, unconsciously moving closer to Keith and grabbing his hand in yours.

Lance looked back at the skeleton. “Something deadly.”

Hunk grew even more alarmed as he checked his scanners once again. “That still doesn’t explain the biorhythms I picked up in this area.”

Without warning, a panel in the ceiling crashed to the floor, and two black-clad figures jumped down. They pointed their weapons at all of you.

“Look out!” Lance yelled, calling forth his rifle with the Red Bayard. He charged at one of the figures as it was about to fire at you, but Hunk tackled the intruder, slamming them to the floor.

As the other figure took aim at you, Keith summoned his katana and sliced through the muzzle of the laser pistol, snarling with rage as he did so. He punched the figure’s helmet, and swung again with his sword, but they leapt out of the way.

Lance fired several shots which the other person dodged. He was then hit in the helmet by a flying disc, and sent backwards into the wall. The attacker leapt, sword raised, but before they could strike, Pidge attacked with her Bayard. The hook of her Bayard smashed into their helmet, slicing part of it off.

The intruder landed in a crouch, and looked up. A familiar pair of black eyes peered out, eyebrows pulled down in a glare. The rest of his helmet fell away, and all of you stared in stupefaction at the face before you.

Hunk was still grappling with the other attacker, and fell back as he was kicked in the face. He fell to the floor at your feet, groaning as he tried to sit up.

The intruders stood staring at you, the taller one pointing a blaster at all of you.

“No way,” Hunk gasped.

_“Shiro?”_ you whispered in shock.

“How…?” Keith could barely think.

“Stay back!” Okay, since when did Shiro speak with a Swedish accent?

“If you’ve come for the comet, you’ll never get it. I’ll die before I let it fall into Altean hands,” the other one said. It sounded like Slav. _Oh, great._

Keith deactivated his Bayard, holding his hands up in surrender. “Shiro, please!”

“My name is not Shiro,” Swedish Shiro replied.

Hunk stood up, his bewilderment even stronger. “What the heck is happening right now? Did everyone get amnesia and then wake up with weird accents?”

“You know us?” Slav asked.

“Of course we do! You’re Shiro, our leader, Paladin of the Black Lion?” Lance told them. “And you’re Slav! I rescued you from a space prison.”

“You’re also slightly crazy,” you added helpfully.

“I may be crazy, but you’ve never rescued me from anything before!” The not-Slav was adamant. “Unless…”

“This is an alternate reality!” Pidge cried.

“You’re from an alternate reality!” not-Slav said at the exact same time.

The rest of you stared at Pidge in confusion. She elaborated. “I think when we passed through that glowy explode-y area, we entered an alternate reality!”

Lance lowered his rifle, his eyebrows furrowed. “You mean like what Slav was always talking about?” He looked at other-Slav. “Not you. I mean, yeah, you, but a different you! One that talks about alternate realities _a lot.”_

Not-Shiro raised his eyebrows. “Oh, that’s him.”

Allura stepped forward. “Why did you attack the Captain and his crew?”  
  
Not-Shiro lifted his rifle again. “Stay back, Altean!”  
  
“We found the ship this way,” alt-Slav said. “But I can’t say I’m sorry they are gone!”

A sensor beeped on the alien’s wrist, and he brought up an image. “Oh, no! More Alteans!”

Allura stood straighter. “Wait! More Alteans?”

“Their scanners must have picked up your arrival,” alternate-Slav muttered disapprovingly. “Sven, let’s go!”

Slav boosted Shiro – no, _Sven_ – back through the roof cavity before turning to look at all of you. “If I were you, I’d run,” he advised, before following Sven back through the roof ducts.

“What the heck just happened?” Lance asked.

Allura looked at him. “Did he say we’re being boarded by Alteans?”

All of you turned to look at the closed doors of the room, hearing loud crashing and banging from the other side. Your weapons were drawn, ready to defend yourselves.

The doors opened, and several Gladiator robots stormed in, followed by three other beings. A purple-haired lady, who looked remarkably similar to the princess, strode forward. “Put down your weapons,” she commanded.

Allura gasped loudly. “Alteans!”

The other woman stared at the princess. “It can’t be!” She fell to one knee, genuflecting to Allura. “Empress…”

The others in her party immediately followed suit, bowing before Allura.

“I’m confused. What is going on?” Hunk voiced the thoughts of every other Paladin.

The Altean lady looked up. “Are you Empress Allura?”

“I am _Princess_ Allura,” the princess corrected her gently. “Please, stand.”

The Altean stood, and the Gladiators did likewise. She said, “I am Commander Hira, Empress. How can you be here? You put down the Galra uprising and established the Altean Empire ten thousand years ago.”  
  
Keith looked more sombre than you’d ever seen him. “Where we’re from, all the Alteans were wiped out by Zarkon when he destroyed your planet.”

The Alteans looked distraught at this revelation. The older man spoke. “Where did you come from?”

**************************************

Pidge had used the Green Lion to assist her in obtaining a small sample of the obsidian-coloured comet. She advised that it had been caught between two realities, just as the ship had been. She examined it closely, as the team and the older Altean looked on.

For some reason, the Altean male set off alarm bells in your mind. You didn’t trust him, and decided to keep a very close eye on him. Keith respected your judgment, his own instincts also screaming at him that something was very wrong.

“Amazing,” Pidge said softly. “It’s Voltron.”

Lance looked thunderstruck. “What?!”

“I mean, it’s not _Voltron,_ obviously. But the readings from this comet are the same ones that Zarkon was searching for. The same ones that led us to the Blue Lion.”

The Altean smiled, which just made you even more uneasy. “That’s how you were able to pass through to this reality. Your vehicle was made from the same trans-reality material.”

“So that’s why Voltron is so powerful.” Hunk sounded impressed.

“With this material, Altea can create their own trans-reality travelling ships,” the man said happily. “We can spread our peace and stability to _all_ realities.”

Bringing up a comm screen, he spoke again. “General Hira, I have just stumbled across something in this ship’s hold that will ensure Altea’s rule for millennia to come.”

Okay, that did not sound _at all_ ominous.

**************************************

Allura and Keith walked with General Hira. “So, the Alteans of this reality defeated the Galra?” Allura asked wonderingly.

“Led by you, my Empress,” Hira informed her proudly. “Without your will to fight and avenge the loss of your father, Altea would not have been able to spread peace and stability throughout the universe.”

Allura beamed.

“Defeating Zarkon was the first step,” the General continued. “We refuse to give up until all worlds know the peace that Altea has achieved.”

Allura clapped her hands. “That is so wonderful.”

**************************************

“No struggle, no wars. That doesn’t even sound possible.” Hunk’s disbelief echoed your own.

“Is it not? Look at Moxalus,” the Altean told him, smiling smugly at the large alien standing docilely beside him. “For generations, his people have been in constant battle with the other planets in their system. It was a barbaric, futile existence. But look at him now.”

You, Lance, Pidge and Hunk stared at Moxalus sceptically.

“So what changed?” Lance asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“The hocktrill,” the man replied. Moxalus turned around to reveal an implant embedded in his skull. “Our civilisation’s most advanced technological achievement.”  
  
Lance frowned. “What does that do?”

“It saps the fighting force from our enemies,” came the reasonable-sounding reply. “Their… will, you might say.”

And _there_ was the reason for the alarm bells which had sounded in your mind.

The others gasped as they also realised the implications of what they had just been told.

**************************************

“Advancements have been made,” Hira explained. “Citizens that might have been casualties of war in Empress Allura’s day can now be rehabilitated. Entire races who warred for millennia can now know peace, and help us to further our new world.”

“So they become a part of the Altean peace movement?” Allura surmised.

**************************************

“You mean _slave labour?”_ you hissed in outrage.

“Oh, no, no,” the man contradicted. “They’re not slaves because they don’t have will. Slaves are always trying to escape or revolt. The non-cogs are content doing what they’re told.”

He clicked his fingers, and Moxalus turned once again to face you. “Preservation of life is the Altean’s highest priority. And with this material, we can do even more than we thought possible.”

His grin as he looked at the crystal shard was positively evil.

**************************************

Keith glowered as he realised what General Hira was saying. “You’re taking away their free will!”

Allura looked at him with alarm.

“The same will that would end your life with no remorse,” Hira replied, her voice expressionless. “Thanks to us, no innocent will lose its life to the free will of an evil being. Empress Allura, let me show you something.”

Hira brought up a projection of the universe from her wrist scanner. “This is our Altea.”

Allura’s eyes were wide as she stared at the alternate version of her home planet.

“Come with me,” urged General Hira. “Allow me to show you the magnificence it has achieved.”

**************************************

Lance looked at the three of you. “Is anyone else getting a strange vibe from these guys?”

“Only from the moment we met them,” you muttered darkly.

Hunk stood with his hands on his hips. “Yeah, there’s definitely something off with _these_ Alteans. I mean, is it me, or did they pretty much scramble the big dude’s brain?”

You shrieked as a ceiling panel crashed to the floor.

“Yoohoo! Up here!” The singsong voice of Sven sounded from directly above you.

“Woah! How’d you find us?” Lance asked.

“I figured there was a high probability that…” Slav began.

Lance held up a hand. “Wait. Stop. Nope, never mind.”

“We’ve got to get to Keith and Allura and figure out a way to stop the Alteans from getting that comet,” you called up to Sven and Slav.

Slav nodded. “Already on it. We just need to do one more thing, and you guys can help.”

He gasped as the Altean male and the Gladiator robots entered the room.

“I had a feeling the Guns of Gamarra were on this ship,” the male said. “But I didn’t know Empress Allura’s friends would be working with them.”

**************************************

Allura hung her head. “Returning to Altea… it seemed like such an impossible dream, I could never allow the thought.”

Keith’s fists were clenched. He spoke, hoping to get the princess to see reason. “Allura, this might not be the Altea you remember.”

Hira stared balefully at him. “You’re right. _This_ Altea is home to a people that made sure that the Galra scourge was unable to spread across the universe, as it did in _your_ reality.”

Turning back to Allura, she pleaded. “Empress, I assure you we will do everything in our power to help. The comet in this ship’s hold possesses the ability to travel between realities. If you will activate this ancient ship’s power, we can fly forward and remove the comet from the tear. We can use it to travel to your universe and bring peace there. Even to the Galra.”

Allura smiled at Hira, then turned towards the ship’s power crystal.

Keith tried again. “Maybe you should think about this, Allura. It wasn’t that long ago that we thought all Galra were bad. Maybe things aren’t as black-and-white as she’s making them out to be.”

“Keith, these are my people,” Allura responded. “And they may be the strongest allies we have in this war.”

She walked to stand directly under the power crystal, closing her eyes. The crystal glowed, and the controls rose up from the floor. Allura placed her hands on the controls, powering up the ship and moving it forward out of the tear in the fabric of reality. With a flash of light, the tear closed up once the ship had moved clear.

“You’ve done it, Allura,” Hira congratulated the princess. “Soon, we’ll use the comet to spread peace throughout every reality.”

The sound of footsteps alerted Keith to the presence of others. Turning, he noted with alarm that you and the team were surrounded by Gladiators, hands cuffed behind your backs. Sven and Slav were also held likewise.

“What is going on?” Allura cried in dismay.

The Altean male turned to her. “Empress, the Guns of Gamarra have infiltrated this ship. These people” – indicating you and the others – “were working with them.”

Keith’s temper flared. “Let our friends go!”

“Hira, you and the rest of Altea have turned this universe into an army of slaves,” Slav said imperiously. “Peace at the sake of freedom!”

Allura seemed stunned. “Slaves? Is this true?”

“Non-cogs are not slaves! _You’re_ the ones that spread chaos and destruction!” The Altean turned threateningly to Slav. “We’re going to scan that little brain of yours and get every last rebel location. Finally, our wars can end.”

“Allura, we cannot let this happen!” Keith pleaded.

The princess turned sadly to General Hira. “Hira, please. We both want the same thing. Peace.”

“Do we?” Hira asked sarcastically. “Your weakness has brought nothing but pain and suffering to your people at the hands of the Galra. We have brought peace and order to ours. And with this comet, we will bring _our_ peace to _every_ reality. You’re no Empress of mine.”

“And you’re no Altean!” Allura snarled, activating her Bayard. Keith also transformed his, as the Gladiators raised their rifles.

Slav let out a cackle.

“Why are you laughing?” you asked the ridiculous creature incredulously.

“Because this is the reality where everything works out fine,” he assured you.

Several explosions sounded throughout the ship. Slav seemed extremely satisfied. “Just in time.”

Keith hurled his Bayard into the chest of one of the Gladiators, which immediately short-circuited.

You and the others jumped onto another Gladiator, pinning it underneath your dogpile.

Allura’s Bayard had become a whip, and she used it to wrap around the wrist of General Hira, who hissed angrily at the princess. She fired several blasts at Allura, who only grunted as she flicked her wrist. Her whip lashed out again, flinging Hira into the wall and rendering her unconscious.

“Let’s go,” Allura ordered.

The team raced through the corridors of the ship, weapons ready in case more Gladiators appeared. As expected, several entered the corridor ahead of you and began firing. Lance and Hunk fired back, and you, Keith, Allura and Pidge raised your shields.

“Pidge, which way to the Lions?” Keith grunted.

“To the left!”

Lance looked to the left, only to see more Gladiators heading your way. They fired before he had a chance to react, and Sven pushed him out of the way. He collapsed to the floor with a cry, having been shot in the chest by one of the laser blasts. Lance dragged him to safety as the rest of you followed, shields blocking their blasts. Hunk managed to shoot one of the Gladiators with his cannon.

“Sven, are you okay?” Lance cried in a worried tone. “You saved my life!”

“I’ll be fine,” Sven grinned weakly. “Just get me to space hospital.”

You grew frustrated as you continued to block the shots from the Gladiators. “They’re blocking our way to the Lions!”

“Everyone hang on!” To everyone’s alarm, Slav sped towards the Gladiators. He ducked and weaved their blasts, only to grin as he pulled a lever. The Gladiators turned as the doors behind them opened, and they were sucked out of the airlock.

Unfortunately, all of you were about to be as well.

“Does he do this in every reality?” Lance moaned, trying desperately to prevent Sven from being sucked into space.

“I’ll take care of Sven. You just get to your Lions!” Slav ordered.

The team activated their jetpacks, gratefully climbing aboard their Lions and heading away from the ship.

“This is all my fault,” Allura fretted. “I activated the ship. They’re going to dislodge the comet and have the power to terrorise every reality!”

Slav’s face appeared on the comm screen. “No! You can still get the comet away from them.”

“Pidge, scan for the comet,” Keith told the Green Paladin.

“Yep. Already picked up on its elemental signature.” The clever little Paladin was always one step ahead.

Keith sounded confident when he spoke again. “Everyone, we’re going back in to get it. Form Voltron!”

**************************************

Voltron blasted a hole in the hull of the ship and headed towards the comet. Dislodging it from its container, the robot headed away with it.

“Okay, now what?” Lance wanted to know.

“We need to find the exact spot we came in, or else we might not make it home,” Pidge replied.

Lance looked sorry he asked.

Several blasts fired from the ship towards Voltron, and the team dodged as they hoped Pidge could find the correct entry point.

“I found it!” she cried triumphantly, as Voltron was nearly hit by another blast. She displayed the data on the screen, and Keith steered Voltron towards the rift, the comet still in Voltron’s grasp.

The ship continued to fire at the robot, and just as Voltron entered the rift, it was hit by a particularly strong blast. The team was engulfed in a blaze of light, cries of pain echoing out as you headed back to your reality.

Voltron exited the rift, floating helplessly, the comet lost from its grasp. The Castleship appeared in front of the robot, and Voltron drifted towards it. Each Paladin lay still, seemingly unconscious.

As Coran tried desperately to reach you through the comms, Voltron was hit by further laser fire. This time, however, it was from Prince Lotor’s fighter jets. The Galra had found you once again. They attached lines to the comet and hauled it away as Voltron continued to drift motionless in space.

Slowly, consciousness returned to all of you as Coran collected Voltron in the hangar of the Castle.

**************************************

Allura was sitting despondently on the bridge.

You and Keith walked up to her. Keith’s voice was soft when he spoke. “Allura, you did the right thing. You couldn’t let Hira get that ore.”

“But now Lotor has it,” she replied bitterly.

“You didn’t know,” you tried to console her.

“That is the problem. We never know.” She stood abruptly. “And that is exactly why my father sent the Lions away so many years ago. To avoid _this_ reality. I finally understand.”

“We’ll get it back,” Keith said confidently.

“But if we don’t?” Allura looked angrier than either of you had ever seen her. “Lotor is always one step ahead of us. He has a plan for that ore. And if he succeeds, the Galra will finally have a weapon as powerful as Voltron.”


	4. If We Don't Die Here, I'm Going To Kill You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Paladins pursue the stolen trans-reality comet, the team become confused by Prince Lotor’s actions. Keith continues to doubt his leadership skills, while Lance ponders his future as a Paladin. You are reminded that jealousy is not a nice feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on the final scene of Series 3, Episode 5 “The Journey”, and Series 3, Episode 6 “Tailing a Comet”

Keith was in the Black Lion, scouting for any sign of Lotor. Suddenly, Black let out a loud roar, before it turned and headed in the opposite direction.

Fighting the controls, Keith grunted. “What’s wrong?”  
  
He stared at the screen as it indicated a small ship nearby. His voice was full of disbelief as he whispered to himself, “We’ve found him.”

Alerting Princess Allura, he led the Castleship to the area of space that Black had indicated. With a soft smile, he looked through the cockpit window of the Galra transport and into the eyes of his beloved mentor.

Shiro was back.

**************************************

Lance looked down over the swarm of Galra sentries below. Aiming his rifle, he spoke softly. “All right, team, I’ve got my eye on the target. I’ll cover you from up… Hey, Keith!” he yelled indignantly as your hot-headed leader leapt into the fray, katana slashing at several sentries. “I had that guy!”

Hunk looked up at him. “They’re still coming!”

Lance turned his attention to the sensor above the doorway, firing at it and disabling the controls. The door shut just as further sentries were making their way towards you, and he grinned as one of the sentries was crushed beneath the heavy door. Hunk returned his grin, giving him a thumbs up as he did so.

Allura was impressive, summoning a whip from the Blue Bayard and taking out the majority of the remaining sentries. Lance swooned at how awesome the princess was, and you suppressed a grin at his lovestruck expression. His unrequited crush on the lovely Altean only seemed to be growing stronger.

You and Keith summoned your shields as you hovered protectively over Pidge, who was desperately trying to override the Galra’s computer system. Hunk fired his cannon at the sentries, while you and Keith blocked their return fire as much as possible.

“Pidge, could you maybe hurry it up a little?” Hunk gritted out.

“Almost…” the Green Paladin advised. A few more seconds and she gave a satisfied hum. “There!”

The power shut down, instantly disabling the robot sentries.

“Great job, Pidge,” Keith congratulated the tiny girl.

“That’s the last outpost in this quadrant,” she said proudly.

“Call the Blade of Marmora,” Keith instructed as you headed back to the Castleship. “Let them know this base is cleared.”

**************************************

You and Keith were in Shiro’s room, trying to determine what he remembered before he disappeared.

“I don’t know,” Shiro said softly. “The last thing I remember was Zarkon trying to overtake the Black Lion. It told me to use my Bayard. Then… just nothing. I woke up and I was back on a Galra ship.”

“Well, you’d just unlocked the Black Lion’s ability to teleport. Could it have teleported you? Maybe it was trying to save you.” Even to your own ears, your suggestion sounded stupid.

Shiro looked at you with disbelief in his dark eyes. “By teleporting me into the hands of the Galra?”

Keith frowned. “Maybe Zarkon forced it to. I mean, he was trying to control the Black Lion up until the very last moment, right?”

“Yeah, maybe.” Shiro didn’t sound like he believed that.

“Well, if you’re up for it, the rest of the team would be thrilled to see you up and around again,” Keith told him. “They need you, you know.”

Shiro stared at the floor as he replied tonelessly, “Yeah, I’ll try.”

You sighed internally. Keith continued to doubt his abilities to lead the team, and you knew with absolute certainty that he was just itching to pass the responsibility back onto Shiro. You didn’t know if the former Black Paladin was up to the task right now; he seemed so tired, just a shadow of his former self. His hair was long and unkempt, his handsome face covered in a scruffy beard, and his entire being gave the impression of overwhelming exhaustion.

“We’ll be on the bridge whenever you’re ready to join us,” you told him gently, pressing a kiss to his cheek before turning to follow Keith out of Shiro’s quarters.

That now-expected flash of jealousy sparked briefly, before Keith suppressed it, knowing full well that any affection you had for Shiro was purely platonic. Still, you were life-bonded to _him_ , not Shiro, and he couldn’t help but feel slightly possessive of your affections, wanting all of your love to be his alone.

“Hey, Keith?” Shiro called softly.

Keith looked over his shoulder at his mentor. “Yeah?”

“How many times are you going to have to save me before this is over?”

With a smile, Keith replied, “As many times as it takes.”

Taking your hand, he led you back to the bridge of the Castle, hoping that it wouldn’t be long before Shiro rejoined the team.

**************************************

Keith was scanning the latest information that had been gathered with regard to Lotor’s whereabouts when a familiar voice sounded behind him.

“Great job, everyone. You’ve really turned the tide in this war. I’m glad you never lost sight of the mission while I was gone.” Shiro looked more like himself. He was clean shaven, hair once again short and neatly styled, and he had discarded the rags he had been found in for his usual attire of dark shirt and pants.

Ignoring the fact that it was probably highly improper, you raced over to him and hugged him fiercely, while the others stood looking at him awkwardly. Shiro hugged you back, glad that you still seemed to think of him as a friend first, rather than a commanding officer.

Once again, Keith’s jealousy flared before he immediately stamped it out. He also loved Shiro, so why didn’t you get upset whenever _he_ showed affection towards the older man? Perhaps you were more secure with your feelings than he was, he mused.

Lance broke the silence. “You’re looking better. How are you feeling?”

“Good. Just trying to get rid of this weird headache,” Shiro replied, touching his forehead.

“Guys! I think I have something here!” Pidge squeaked excitedly.

Crowding around the tech-guru, you all tried to make sense of what Pidge was babbling about. “So, I downloaded intel from the Galra base we just defeated. I untied the quantum-folded encryption and I found something on Lotor!”

“Do you know where he is?” demanded Keith.

Pidge looked sheepish. “Well, not exactly, no. But the last three sightings of his command ship have been in the Bakkar quadrant.”

“Nice work, Pidge,” Shiro said. “Although… those quadrants are massive. How will we pinpoint his location?”

Hunk looked thoughtful. “Hey, that comet is made from the same material as Voltron. Maybe I can scan the emission spectrum for Fraunhofer lines, like when I found the Blue Lion!”

“But you know those emissions are subject to free-induction decay. Those are exponential drop-offs,” Pidge objected.

“Yeah, but if you could find a way to amplify the sensors… no, there’d be way too much interference.” Hunk’s face fell, before instantly brightening again. “What if instead we increase the assay magnitude?”

Pidge sat bolt upright. “The spires of the Castle!”

“Genius!” Hunk and Pidge raced off to try and put their idea into action.

Lance looked at you with a helpless expression. “I have no idea what either of them just said.”

“I think they’re going to try to make a Lotor-finder,” you told him, and he nodded as if in understanding.

“Let’s set a course for the Bakkar quadrant while they get started on that detector,” Shiro suggested. “We need to work fast. Who knows what Lotor has planned for that comet?”

**************************************

Keith hung up his jacket and joined you on his bunk. He was looking forward to spending some quiet time with you, hoping you could help him to wrap his head around what Shiro’s return meant for everyone in the team. Specifically, Keith’s unwanted role as the current Paladin of the Black Lion.

Before either of you could discuss things, though, there was a knock on the door. With an annoyed huff, Keith opened it to find Lance standing in front of him. You stood up as Lance entered, giving him a soft smile as he nodded at you.

“Hey, man, I just wanted to talk with you because… well, because I’ve been worrying about something.” Lance’s shoulders slumped, and he looked more depressed than you had ever seen him.

Keith crossed his arms, a wry grin on his face. “Must really be bothering you if you’re coming to talk to me.”

“Well, I mean, you’re the leader now, right?”

Keith scowled at the reminder. “I guess.”

“I’ve been doing some math,” Lance said. “With Shiro back, that makes six… no, seven Paladins but there are only five Lions, and if I’m right, that’s one Paladin too many.”

“Solid math,” Keith deadpanned.

You gave an amused snort. Math had never been Lance’s strong point. “Lance, sweetie, we’ve always had six Paladins to five Lions. Keith and I were both in Red at the start, and now I’m with you. We’ve always had more Paladins than Lions. I don’t see what the problem is.”

Lance stared at Keith. “Look, when Shiro takes over the Black Lion, you’re going to want your Red Lion back so you can fly with Y/N again. If I get a Lion, that means I’d have to take Blue from Allura. She’s progressed a lot faster than any of us did. She might be able to unlock powers we don’t know of.”

“That’s true,” Keith agreed.

Lance’s expression grew even more upset. “So, maybe the best thing I can do for the team is step aside.”

Keith looked impatient. “What are you talking about?”

“This isn’t a participation game. This is war. And you want your best soldiers on the front lines,” Lance pointed out.

“Stop worrying about who flies what and just focus on your missions,” Keith told him. “Things will work themselves out.”

Lance didn’t look convinced. “Okay. Thanks.”

“And Lance? Leave the math to Pidge,” teased Keith.

The smile on Lance’s face gave you hope that everything was going to be okay.

**************************************

Pidge and Hunk had managed to get their “Lotor-locator” working, allegedly with some assistance from the space mice, and Allura steered the Castle towards the area where the comet he had stolen had last been sighted.

“Make sure we stay far back enough to be undetected,” Shiro advised.

Pidge frowned. “It looks like the signal stopped in the Eulipid system. Activating long range scanners.”

She brought up a rocky, frozen planet on the main screen, zooming in on the Galra base located there. A Galra warship appeared.

Keith stood up, a concerned expression on his handsome face. “That’s not Lotor’s ship.”

“But the comet _is_ in there,” Hunk confirmed after checking his data.

“Here’s the plan, everyone…” Keith started.

“We need to get that…” Shiro said at the same time.

They looked at each other in confusion. Keith immediately deferred to the older man. “I’m sorry. Go ahead, Shiro.”

Shiro nodded. “We need to get that comet. They must be transporting it into that base. It will be vulnerable during the transfer. That’s the best time to strike.”

Without warning, the Galra warship began firing upon the base. The team stared quizzically at the scene before them.

“Who the heck are _these_ guys?” Lance asked the question everyone else was silently thinking.

Shiro looked thoughtful. “I don’t think they’re moving the comet to that base. We need more information.”

“You’re right,” Keith agreed. Placing a hand on Shiro’s shoulder, he continued. “You take the Black Lion. I’ll stay with Coran and the Castle and provide support.”

Shiro looked at him with surprise. “Keith, are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

**************************************

Four Lions headed toward the Galra base to try and determine what was happening with the comet. Unfortunately, the Black Lion had not yet joined you. It seemed that Shiro was having trouble reconnecting with it.

“Shiro, where are you?” you called, your voice filled with concern. “We need you right now!”

You heard Shiro’s voice over the comms. “Keith, I’m going to need you to lead this mission.”

Keith’s voice was filled with fear. “Wha-what is it? What’s wrong?”

“The Black Lion… it isn’t responding to me,” Shiro replied. “It looks like you’re it’s true Paladin now.”

You could feel Keith’s anguish through your life-bond, which was quickly replaced by steely determination. “I’m coming down.”

Once again, Keith was proving that he was the leader that Shiro always knew he could be, as he stepped up to shoulder the responsibility that he still didn’t feel equipped for.

You had never been so proud of anyone.

**************************************

The Lions landed on the planet’s surface, and all of you used the speeders to travel towards the base, thus reducing your chances of being detected by the Galra troops.

“The most important thing is for you to get eyes on that comet,” Shiro instructed. “The second is to find out who we’re dealing with.”

You swept through the Galra warship fairly quickly, with no luck.

“Shiro, we’ve just boarded the ship. There’s no crew in sight,” you reported.

Keith added, “Moving forward with the search.”

The team headed into the base itself, Lance taking position at the front of the group with his sniper rifle, while the rest of you held your Bayards at the ready. Hunk scanned the base with his emission scanner. The needle started vibrating wildly as he pointed it down the right-hand corridor.

“This way,” the Yellow Paladin said, heading in the direction of the comet. There was the sound of laser fire, which was soon silenced.

“Sounds like the fight next door is over,” Keith muttered. “Let’s hurry.”

You found yourselves in the presence of a small ship. Hunk stared at his detector with consternation, which was pinging even more wildly now. “The comet should be here. Like, _right here_ ,” he said, standing directly in front of the ship.

“Where’s the comet? Is it in that ship?” Lance asked.

“I think the ship _is_ the comet,” Hunk replied.

“No, it can’t be!” you cried in disbelief. “He’s already made a ship from the comet’s ore?”

“Oh, this is bad,” Lance fretted.

Pidge muttered, “More like horrible.”

“Guys,” Shiro’s voice came through the helmet comms. Pidge brought up the vid-screen on her wrist comm. “There’s a piece of the teludav inside the Galra base.”

Lance smooshed his face next to Pidge to stare at Shiro. “The one we used to wormhole Zarkon’s ship?”

“But they would never be able to operate it without an Altean…” Allura’s voice faltered, then she gasped. “Zarkon’s witch! She had Altean markings!”

“Is anyone else kind of freaking out?” Hunk whispered.

Lance raised his hand. “Yep. Mark me down for one freak out.”

Keith looked more serious than ever. “Lotor must be nearby. We need to find him and take him out for good.”

“Team, you cannot let Lotor get that ship!” Shiro reminded all of you. “You need to get back to your Lions. You need Voltron.”

“Why take out one ship when we can stop all of this by taking out Lotor himself?” Keith objected. “We can’t let him keep outsmarting us!”

“That’s exactly why we can’t risk letting Lotor have that ship. This is too important.”  
  
Allura looked seriously at the Red Paladin. “Keith, I want to stop Lotor just as badly as you. But Shiro has a point.”

Keith closed his eyes, then sighed. “Okay. You guys go back to the Lions. I’m going to search the ship for Lotor.”

“Keith, you need to stick together,” Shiro told him.

“Yeah, I’m with Shiro on this one,” Lance said, unsurprisingly.

Allura nodded. “As am I.”

“Yeah, man,” Hunk agreed.

You and Pidge added your agreement to those of the others, effectively overriding Keith’s decision. You worried that a scowl was going to become permanently etched onto his face. He turned on his heel. “Fine. Let’s move.”

As you headed towards the door, it opened and you found yourselves staring at four Galra warriors. At least, you assumed they were Galra, as they were dressed in the outfits of soldiers of the Empire. But these didn’t look like your typical Galra. One had no eyes – only slightly creepy – another was practically rainbow-coloured, and there was an enormous ferocious looking female at the front. But your eyes were instantly drawn to the beautiful Galra female standing at the back of the group. For some reason, she raised your hackles more than any of the others.

The large one leapt with a snarl, nearly landing on top of Allura, who managed to skip out of the way just as the Galra punched a dent in the floor where the princess had stood only half a second before.

The eyeless one lashed out at Pidge with her tail, sending the tiny Paladin flying head over feet, before striking out at Hunk.

Lance was too busy deflecting the laser fire from the pretty one to fire his own rifle, or to even think about trying to flirt with her. You attacked her with your staff, which she easily evaded, much to your annoyance. With a flick of her wrist, she flung you aside, sending you crashing into the wall.

Keith instantly went on the attack, his katana pulled back as he prepared to strike at the Galra who had hurt you. With a growl, he brought his blade down and she blocked it with her pistol. The two of them locked gazes with one another, and Keith’s eyes widened as you felt a shock of recognition through the life-bond. For some reason, that caused your irritation to increase.

As Keith was distracted, the colourful Galra leapt towards him, intent on taking him out. However, she didn’t notice that you had gotten to your feet, and you hit her with your staff as she was in mid-air, knocking her away from Keith. He grinned at you appreciatively, only to notice that you were glaring at him for some reason. He didn’t know what he’d done to annoy you this time, but it was obviously something pretty serious.

His distraction once again was taken advantage of by Rainbow-Galra, who grabbed him in a headlock and grinned at him wickedly. He groaned as she locked the arm holding his katana in a vice-like grip, but he surprised her by summoning his Bayard into his other hand, striking at her from the opposite direction. She teleported out of the way just as he was about to hit her.

Allura had been flung backwards by the large Galra, and Lance immediately raced to protect her, only to be sent flying with a kick from the pretty one. You started to attack with your staff, only to be pulled up short by Keith’s voice.

“We don’t have time for this! We need to get back to the Lions!”

You helped Lance to his feet and raced back towards the speeders. As the team sped back towards the Lions, Lance asked, “Okay, seriously, what is going on? I mean, who _were_ they?”

“I’ve met one of them before,” Keith said. “In the weblum. She stole some of the scaultrite.”

Your rage at your life-bonded partner increased. _Of course_ he’d met the attractive one before. Funny how he’d failed to mention that little detail to you.

Hunk sounded concerned. “Allura, you said they had an Altean? They must be trying to build a teludav so they can make wormholes.”

“If Lotor has turned the comet into a ship, we have much bigger concerns,” the princess replied.

“I thought Lotor took over from Zarkon,” Pidge interjected. “Why is he attacking a Galra base?”

“I don’t know. That’s why we have to stop him here and now,” Keith ground out.

**************************************

The cargo ship was pulling the piece of the teludav towards it with its tractor beam, and Shiro and Coran both watched with concern as the comet-ship sped towards them. It managed to fire a plasma beam through the Castle’s particle barrier.

“Team! Where are you?” Shiro cried, alarm filling his voice.

His relief was palpable when Voltron fired upon the Galra ship, causing it to flee.

Keith’s voice was filled with anger as he practically shoved the Black Bayard into his console. “Form sword!”

Immediately, Voltron’s sword was summoned and it swung at the Galra ship, which managed to evade each strike. Keith’s frustration grew. “Argh! It’s too quick!”

“Guys!” Shiro called. “The cargo ship is escaping with the teludav inside of it!”

“I thought taking down the ship made from the comet was the most important thing!” Keith argued.

“We still can’t let Lotor get away with the teludav,” Shiro reminded him.

“Shiro’s right. We need to destroy it,” you added.

“But the comet is right here! We need to take it down!” Once again, Keith’s single-minded focus was going to potentially jeopardise the entire mission.

“Keith, the cargo ship is getting away!” Shiro yelled, trying to turn his attention back to the real issue.

Keith turned Voltron towards the cargo ship, and immediately the Galra jet fired upon the robot defender from behind. Pidge brought up the shield to defend the team from the worst of the onslaught, and you noted with dismay that the ship’s plasma gun was preparing to fire upon you.

“Guys, the teludav is getting away!” Shiro’s voice was increasingly urgent.

Lance called out to the team leader. “Keith! What should we do?”

“You’re going to have to lower your shield, shoot the cargo ship, and deal with the consequences,” Shiro responded.

Keith stared at the vid-screen with disbelief. “We can beat this ship first, and _then_ get the cargo ship!” he insisted.

“There’s not enough time,” Shiro contradicted him. “You need to make a decision!”

“Argh!” Keith inhaled, then spoke again. “Hunk, get your Bayard ready. On my cue, we’re going to lower the shield and shoot the cargo ship. Ready?”

“Ready!” the team confirmed simultaneously.

“Go!” Keith ordered.

Hunk activated Voltron’s shoulder cannon just as Pidge lowered the shield. Before he could fire it, the Galra fighter fired the plasma gun. Keith took a deep breath, then manoeuvred Voltron out of the way of the blast at the last second. His instincts proved correct, as the blast hit the cargo ship instead, destroying the teludav. Before Hunk could fire the shoulder cannon, however, Voltron was hit by another blast, knocking it aside as the jet sped away.

Lance stared at the retreating ship, trying to make sense of what had just happened. “So, Lotor was attacking the Galra base and trying to steal the teludav? None of this makes any sense.”

“We can talk about this later,” Pidge interrupted. “They’re getting away!”

“We need to go after them,” Keith decided.

“No. Get back to the Castle,” Shiro ordered. “Something strange is going on here and we need to figure it out.”

**************************************

Keith was staring dejectedly out of the window of the Castle, trying to figure out where he’d gone wrong. He sighed. This whole mission had just proved yet again what a failure he was. He was no leader.

He sighed again, just as Shiro walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. His mentor looked apologetic as he spoke. “I’m sorry I had to step in back there.”

Keith’s voice was filled with doubt. “I thought I had it under control.”

“You need to learn to pick your battles,” Shiro told him. “Sometimes, you have to make hard choices.”

Keith’s expression grew even melancholy. “I’m no good at this.”  
  
“Yes, you are,” Shiro countered. “It was your quick thinking that prevented Lotor from getting away with the teludav. You’re gonna get there.”

Noting the younger man’s doubtful expression, Shiro smiled encouragingly. “The Black Lion has chosen you. I’m proud of you, Keith.”

“I wish Y/N was,” he said sadly. You’d stomped off in a huff as soon as the team had returned to the Castle. Apparently, the fact that Keith hadn’t told you that the Galra he had rescued from the weblum was an exceedingly attractive female had once again caused you to feel that he deserved to be thrown out of the airlock.

“Well, that’s one battle that I can’t really help you with. The only thing I can tell you is that, with Y/N, the most important thing is to be honest with her. If you try to hide things from her, and she finds out about them later, that’s when all hell breaks loose.” With another encouraging pat to the shoulder, Shiro left.

Keith closed his eyes and groaned. He’d rather face the Galra, alone and weaponless, than deal with your wrath. But he knew that the longer he left things, the worse it would be.

Straightening his shoulders, he went to try and figure out a way to get you to like him again.

**************************************

Keith groaned yet again. “I really don’t see what all the fuss is about. I mean, it’s not like I was taking any notice of what that Galra looked like when I was rescuing her. I didn’t even realise it was a female at the time. I was too busy trying to figure out how to collect the scaultrite without dying.”

You glared at him, hands on your hips and a scowl on your face. “Keith, you not only failed to mention anything about rescuing a Galra from the weblum in the first place, but you kept out the especially important detail that she was also a very attractive Galra. I’m sure you can understand why I might just be a tiny bit put out by that.”

“So I rescued a Galra female. So what?”

“But why did you have to rescue such a pretty one?” you wailed. “Why couldn’t it have been the rainbow one you helped? Or the big one. She looks like she could break you in half with her little finger. Or even the scary cat lady.”

Keith tried unsuccessfully to suppress his grin, finding your possessive streak more than slightly gratifying. “You’d be jealous no matter which one of them it was.”  
  
“I would not! I’m not jealous of some Galra hussy!” He quirked an eyebrow at you. “Okay, fine. I wouldn’t be _as jealous_ if you’d rescued one of the less attractive ones.”

“But why does it matter so much?”

“Because I saw your face when you looked at her! It was like you knew her better than you wanted to admit.” He could hear the hurt in your voice, and realised just how worried you were that his feelings for you weren’t as strong as those you had for him, despite your life-bond.

“I recognised who she was. That’s all. I wasn’t looking at her because I’m attracted to her.”

“But she’s Galra! And _you’re_ Galra. And she’s so beautiful, and it’s not as if you’re totally unattractive either, and I just… how can I possibly compete with some beautiful, deadly space alien when I’m just… well, _me?_ ” Your shoulders slumped as you sunk further into your misery.

He gathered you in his arms and rested his forehead against yours, staring into your eyes. “Y/N, you are the most beautiful person in the universe to me. There is nobody who compares to you. Why is that so hard for you to understand?”

You sniffed. “I’m sorry, Keith. I’m just having a hard time understanding what you would see in me when I’m just some boring old human and you’re a butt-kicking alien hybrid.”

Holding you close, Keith pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “Y/N, I love you to the moon and back. There is nobody else for me but you. I thought you knew this.”

Feeling your insecurity still eating away at you, he continued. “Babe, I loved you long before I knew we were life-bonded. I’ve pretty much loved you since that day you helped me steal Shiro’s car and he bailed us out of juvenile detention.”

You looked at him in shock, your eyes widened so far with surprise that Keith thought they were going to pop right out of your head. “Keith, we were _thirteen!”_

He nodded. “Yep. You are beautiful and loyal and fearless, and I have been in love with you almost from the moment I met you. So you really don’t need to worry about anybody else trying to turn my head, because I have only ever had eyes for you.”

“You really think I’m just as pretty as that Galra?” you asked softly, your voice still filled with doubt that Keith actually thought you could possibly be more lovely than the gorgeous creature you had so recently encountered.

He pressed a lingering kiss to your lips. “How about I show you just how beautiful I think you are?”

Keith kissed you again, and by the time he was done, he didn’t leave you in any doubt that he thought you truly were the most beautiful being in the universe.


	5. Running From Your Problems Totally Counts As Cardio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the team tries to decipher Lotor’s plan for the comet, Coran gives the Paladins a history lesson about the origins of Voltron and the ongoing war with Zarkon. The Blade of Marmora investigates a Galra supply route. Keith’s divided attentions cause tension within the team – and your relationship – at a time when unity is crucial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief summary of Series 3 Episode 7: “The Legend Begins” at the start of the chapter, and the rest then follows Series 4 Episode 1: “Code of Honor”

Pidge brought up the data she had collated on Lotor’s most recent movements. “He fought us here, his generals were here, and he stole the comet _here.”_

Each point was highlighted on the cosmic map surrounding the team.

“So… Lotor could be anywhere.” Lance sounded as disappointed as the rest of you felt.

“We’ll never be able to find him unless we can figure out his plan,” Shiro said. “We’re totally missing the big picture.”

You squinted at the point where Lotor had stolen the comet. “How about _this_ question – Why was Voltron made out of the same material as that comet? What’s so special about it?”

Allura looked downcast. “My father discovered another comet like that before I was born.”  
  
“Your father… and Zarkon,” Coran added quietly.

“This was back when Zarkon was the Black Lion’s Paladin?” asked Hunk.

Coran shook his head. “Before that. Before Alfor built the Lions.”

“I know this is painful to talk about,” Shiro said to Allura. “But if we’re going to stop Lotor, it’s time we heard the rest of the story.”

The normally jovial Altean advisor was more solemn than you had ever heard as he told the tale of how the Voltron Lions came to be. How Zarkon and King Alfor had joined three other leaders of powerful planets – Blaytz, Trigal and Gyrgan – coming together initially to bring peace to the galaxy and eventually becoming friends.

They had been on the Galra home planet of Daibazaal when a comet crashed to the surface, creating a trans-reality rift in the planet. King Alfor introduced an Altean alchemist, Honerva, to Zarkon, who allowed her to investigate the rift. The Galra Emperor eventually fell in love with the Altean, and they married a short time later.

King Alfor began creating ships from the comet, which would eventually become the Lions. Years passed before the danger really began.

It was through Honerva’s research that they learned about Quintessence, and discovered that a single drop was able to power an object for infinite periods of time. Unfortunately, a signal was sent to another reality through the rift, prompting an evil creature to cross through the realities. Alfor realised that the only thing that could prevent further chaos was the Lions he had created. He introduced the rest of his team to them, and thus was born the original Team Voltron.

Alfor wished to seal the rift, but Honerva and Zarkon convinced him to allow it to remain open in order for Honerva to continue her investigations. Over the years, however, Honerva’s research became an obsession, and Zarkon began speaking of ruling the universe and living forever. Alfor objected, and as a result their friendship was destroyed.

After some time, Zarkon managed to convince Alfor and the other Paladins that Voltron was the only way to close the rift and save his people, and so the Paladins agreed to help him. However, it was a ruse, as Zarkon and Honerva used the Black Lion to float in the field of pure Quintessence in their attempts to become immortal. The rift creatures returned, and Voltron escaped, but not before both Honerva and Zarkon had apparently perished from overexposure to the Quintessence.

Alfor made the painful decision to destroy Daibazaal in order to seal the rift completely, and held a funeral for Zarkon and Honerva. However, both somehow returned to life and, upon learning that their planet no longer existed, took their revenge by then destroying planet Altea.

That was how the war began.

Zarkon then killed King Alfor, but not before the Altean king had sent the Lions to the farthest corners of the universe in order to prevent Zarkon from enacting his plans to rule the entire universe through the use of Voltron.

After hearing Coran’s tale, you felt that you finally understood.

“So that’s Lotor’s plan. To cross into other universes and get the purest Quintessence possible,” you whispered in a horrified tone of voice.

Keith’s face was set with determination. “No matter what, we have to stop him.”

**************************************

A voice sounded over the intercom. **[A priority Level One shipment is en route. Activate the docking station immediately.]**

Keith, Kolivan and Regris watched from their perch above the Galra sentries, awaiting the arrival of the Galra submarine to the underwater base. There were numerous barrels of Quintessence awaiting shipment.

“We destroyed the Komar. How are the Galra still producing such vast amounts of Quintessence?” Kolivan turned to Regris. “Find out where it’s coming from and where it’s going.”

Regris nodded, then left to gather the intel.

Turning to Keith, Kolivan said, “Get a reading on that shipment.” As Keith went to leave, Kolivan grabbed his arm. “Remember, this is purely intelligence gathering. _Do not engage.”_

He could feel Keith scowling beneath his mask, but let it pass as the young Blade trainee went to do as instructed.

Keith waited until the sentry had passed, then barrel-rolled towards the containers of Quintessence. He scanned the containers and sent the data to Kolivan, who gasped in astonishment as the readings overloaded his monitor.

Just as Keith was finalising his scan, a sentry rounded the corner. Keith brought him down with his dagger, but not before the sentry fired several blasts from his laser as he fell, alerting the other sentries to the presence of the Blades.

“The op is compromised! Abort!” Kolivan ordered. “Extraction point in two doboshes. This is a hard out!”

Keith grabbed his dagger from the sentry’s chest as he made his escape. Several more Galra opened fire, and he ducked and weaved his way between them, slicing through their weapons with his blade even as he brought them low with well-aimed kicks. He raced up the ramp, struggling to catch his breath. He noted that only Kolivan was currently aboard the transportation pod.

“He’s not back?”

“He’s got thirty ticks,” Kolivan informed him.

Without hesitation, Keith turned back and ran to retrieve Regris. He heard Kolivan order the pilot to make preparations for takeoff.

Just as the pod doors were about to close, Keith launched both himself and his fellow Blade through the gap, collapsing in a heap at Kolivan’s feet. The pod detached itself from the Galra ship and made its way back to the surface of the ocean.

Keith watched as Kolivan placed a healing patch to Regris. “Will he be all right?”

Kolivan ignored the question. “You broke protocol.”

“I had to!” Keith took off his mask and glared at the Blade commander.

Kolivan returned his glare with a dark look of his own. “You didn’t consider that something could have happened to you. That would make _two_ men down instead of one! Every member of the Blade of Marmora understands that the mission is more important than the individual. This isn’t Voltron.”

Keith continued to scowl. “I understand that! In Voltron, we would have gone back in to save Regris. _I_ went back to save the mission.” He handed a data stick to Kolivan. “Regris had the intel. Getting him - and it - back on the ship was worth the risk.”

He stalked off, leaving the Blade commander staring after him silently.

**************************************

Keith found Shiro on the Castle bridge, gazing intently at the cosmic map. The older man flicked his eyes towards him as he entered.

“Keith. Good, you’re back. The team’s on a mission. You need to get to your Lion and join them immediately.” He continued to reposition holograms of the transport pods in various locations above the surface of Olkarion.

“I will, but I think we just discovered a new form of Quintessence. The readings are off the charts. Kolivan says it could be linked to Lotor.”

Shiro crossed his arms. “Okay. We’ll discuss it when you return. The team’s escorting refugees out of the Fimm system.”

Keith clenched his fists. “This is _Lotor_ I’m talking about! He hasn’t been seen in months. This might be our chance to track him down.”

“I said we’ll discuss it later,” Shiro repeated. “Right now, I need you to focus on the mission at hand.”

“But…” Keith started to protest.

Shiro rounded on him. “This isn’t a request, Keith. Get to the Fimm system. That’s an order.”

Keith glared at his mentor, before stalking off to do as Shiro commanded.

**************************************

Keith flew the Black Lion onto the last transportation pod just as the others started to lead the refugees towards safety.

“Well, look who decided to show up,” you muttered sarcastically. You could feel Keith’s pout through your life-bond, and it only increased your irritation with the Red Paladin.

“Yeah, are you even taking this seriously?” Lance added.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Keith apologised, though it sounded half-hearted.

Once the refugees were safely on Olkarion, Keith joined Shiro as he overlooked the base. “Were you able to speak with Kolivan about the intel?”

“I did, and we need to find out all we can about that Quintessence.” Shiro turned his serious gaze to Keith. “But more importantly, Voltron needs a strong leader.”

“I know they do. And it should be you,” Keith insisted.

Shiro sighed. “Keith, we’ve discussed this before. Besides, we both know that the Black Lion has chosen you.”

“You only tried once!” Keith objected. “You had a connection with the Black Lion and I know it’s still there. If you just give it another shot…”

“Keith, we all have a part to play. This is mine now. I’ve come to terms with that. Now you need to.” At Keith’s crestfallen expression, Shiro softened his tone. “I support your decision to continue with your Marmora training, but not at the expense of the team. They need you, Keith. They need you to be their leader.”

**************************************

The team stood on the bridge, listening to Coran’s latest plans for the Voltron Alliance. You stood with your hands on your hips, next to Shiro rather than your customary place beside Keith. For some reason, you’d found Keith pulling away from you recently, and it worried you. Shiro seemed to share your concerns, and the two of you had had several conversations as you tried to determine exactly what was going on with him, and how you could help.

“Okay, everybody. Today we’ll be heading to Ryfod, a planet recently liberated from Galra forces.” Coran sounded positively gleeful.

Keith’s expression seemed to be permanently set to a glower. “This is embarrassing. We’re basically the grand marshall of a parade.”

Coran tutted. “Not a parade. A show of arms.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Whatever it is, this is the second one of these we’ve done this week.”

Allura looked at her with sympathy. “I know it’s not exactly battling the Galra, but believe it or not, this helps us boost morale and strengthen alliances.”

“Right, right. Strongholds, blah-de-blah-de-blah!” Lance replied. “Now I say we go over our Lion choreography one more time. I don’t want a repeat of what happened last time, Hunk.”

The Yellow Paladin looked mournful. “I thought my Lion had more room.”

Suddenly the vid-screen lit up and Kolivan’s face loomed over the team. “Shiro, my apologies for interrupting but this is an urgent matter. A Galra supply has been spotted passing through Quadrant Omega-Reylar Six.”

“What’s it doing so far from the normal supply routes?” Shiro queried.

“We can’t be certain, but taken together with the fact that Lotor hasn’t been seen in quite some time, and the emergence of this new form of Quintessence, we feel compelled to investigate. Normally we would wait for better intel, but I believe we should act on this now.”

“I’ll send Voltron to intercept,” Shiro told him.

“An infiltration mission makes more sense,” Kolivan contradicted. “We can plant a tracker and see just how far the supply route extends. With all the Galra activity as of late, my agents are spread thin.”

Your eyes automatically flicked to Keith, knowing instinctively that he was going to put his hand up for this mission. Unsurprisingly, he told Kolivan to count him in.

“Hey! What about our performance? We can’t razzle dazzle the crowd with just four Lions.” Lance cried. He was the only one that actually seemed to enjoy the ridiculous shows that Coran had arranged, loving the chance to be the absolute centre of attention for once.

“This mission is more important than a show of arms!” Keith said through clenched teeth. “Shiro…”

Shiro turned back to Kolivan. “How long will it take?”

“Not long,” the Blade Commander assured him. “But we must act fast, or we risk the ship jumping to hyperspace.”

“Go,” Shiro told Keith. “But when you’re done, meet us on Ryfod.”

Keith needed no further urging, not even bothering to bid any of you goodbye.

Just like old times.

**************************************

It seemed that Coran had managed to fill an entire stadium with eager residents of Ryfod. The crowd was enormous. His voice boomed out over the loudspeakers. “Citizens of Ryfod, on this day we honour you for your perserverence! Your refusal to bow down in the face of such adversity is a testament to the fighting spirit of your people. You’ve put aside your differences and united to dispel the oppressive Galra regime, bringing freedom to all!”

The crowd cheered wildly at the Altean’s over the top statements, while Shiro stood next to him, arms crossed in front of his chest and an unimpressed expression on his face, especially when he noted several posters of himself being brandished by members of the crowd. It reminded you of the recruitment posters he’d been ‘volunteered’ to pose for back at the Garrison before the Kerberos mission. You made a mental note to tease him mercilessly for his new title of _“Shiro the Hero.”_

“We thank you for joining the Coalition, and continuing the fight against the Galra that began with the re-emergence of the five Lions of Voltron,” Coran continued pompously. 

On cue, four of the Lions appeared overhead, flying in formation as the crowd roared its appreciation. Coran quickly corrected his previous statement to reflect the current state of affairs with regard to the number of Lions, and pressed on.

“I thought Keith said he was going to be here,” Lance huffed in annoyance. “He’s going to ruin our show!”

“Lance, this isn’t just about putting on a good show,” Allura said soothingly. “It’s about uniting people, and bringing them into the Coalition to help in the fight against Zarkon.”

“Ugh. _Fine._ I don’t even know why I try.” You’d forgotten just how much of a diva your best friend could be if things didn’t go the way he wanted.

Fireworks and ribbons exploded above the crowd as Coran continued his bombastic speech. “By joining the Voltron Alliance, you are joining up with the Defenders of the Universe, who will do whatever it takes to spread peace and freedom to every galaxy!”

Lance whooped as the crowd lapped up the spectacle. “They are loving us! Razzle dazzle!”

The rest of you didn’t share his enthusiasm.

The Lions floated above the crowd as Coran wound things up. “And just as Voltron has shown what can be done when five individuals combine their powers together, so too can we combine our powers with those on planet Ryfod, and grow ever stronger! For it is the individual willing to take up arms that strengthens the whole. And with that strength, we will be unstoppable!”

The ending unfornately wasn’t as spectacular as the rest of the show, as it _was_ meant to conclude with Voltron holding aloft his sword. However, as only four of the Lions were present, it meant that Coran had to mime the ending, which wasn’t quite as exciting. You could see that Shiro was having difficulty holding back his laughter.

You secretly thought maybe Keith had the right idea by absconding with the Blade of Marmora.

**************************************

Keith, Kolivan and Regris reached the drop zone and made their way to the Galra ship. They triangulated their positions and landed as quietly as possible. Attaching the scanner, Keith studied the data coming through. “I’m not detecting any biorhythms.”

“Could be a crew of sentries,” Kolivan surmised. “Let’s get in and find out.”

As the three of them searched the ship, Regris advised that there was no sign of life on board.

Keith was confused. “The entire place is empty. Have you ever seen this before?”

Kolivan seemed just as confused. “Something’s not right here. We should leave.”

“We came all this way. We should at least plant the tracker and find out where the ship ends up,” Keith urged, reluctant to give up so easily.

“Let’s make it quick.”

Entering the control room, they noted that it too was empty. Regris immediately went to check the logs, while Keith planted the tracker. The instant Regris attempted to check the ship’s data, he was locked out of the system, and the doors to the control room slammed shut as an alarm started blaring.

“It’s rigged to blow! The ship’s a decoy! Everyone, out!” Kolivan ordered. He and Keith used their daggers to force open the doors as Regris attempted to override the system.

“There’s not enough time!” Keith yelled at him. “Come on!”

“Just a few more ticks…”

“Regris, no!” Keith ran to help the other Blade, but Kolivan grabbed him and dragged him back towards the exit. Keith struggled in vain against the much larger Galra, crying out helplessly as the control room exploded.

Floating adrift in space, Keith called out desperately for Kolivan. The ship’s debris surrounded him, interfering with his comms. “Hello? Kolivan? Anyone?”

A hissing sound alerted him to the fact that he had a tear in his suit. Pressing his hand as tightly over the gap as he could, he searched desperately for the Blade Commander. The lack of response to his calls for help indicated that his communicator had most likely been damaged in the blast.

Attaching a grappling line to his dagger, he threw it at a large piece of debris, hauling himself to the relative safety of the metal. Using his sensors, he managed to locate the Blade’s ship. He launched himself through the debris field, using the scattered pieces to parkour his way towards the ship. With a last desperate leap, he managed to make it onto the pod just as the doors shut.

He took great heaving gasps as he removed his mask, and found Kolivan staring down at him impassively.

**************************************

Keith entered the Castle bridge, only to find two pairs of eyes looking sadly back at him. “Allura, Y/N, I know you’re mad at me, but I’m not in the mood for a lecture.”

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I heard what happened on your mission.” You reached for his hand, your face reflecting your hurt when he pulled away.

“Thanks.” He stood staring at you awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

Allura stood in front of him, trying to find the words that wouldn’t upset him more. “I know how important the work you’ve been doing with the Blades is. They’re incredible allies, and they’ve been instrumental in our victories over the Galra. And while the news of a new Quintessence supply line is deeply troubling, I cannot help but feel…”

“I _said_ I didn’t want a lecture,” he snapped.

Allura tried again. “Keith, since our battle with Zarkon, we’ve been able to bolster our forces by uniting those previously ruled by the Galra under a common symbol. Voltron. It’s so much more than a weapon. It’s become a symbol of freedom and hope for the oppressed to rally around.”

When Keith failed to respond, the princess continued. “What I’m trying to say is that the Marmora can go on without you. They have for thousands of years. Voltron cannot. _We_ cannot.”

Keith continued to stare at the ground, his expression blank. Allura walked off, leaving the two of you alone.

“Keith…”

“Y/N, I don’t want to hear it. I’m tired. This mission took a lot out of me.” He started towards his quarters.

You watched him walk away, feeling an overwhelming sense of rejection as he continued to shut you out.

You were losing him, and you didn’t have any idea how to get him back.

**************************************

The team had finished ferrying the refugees to Olkarion, and oversaw the deployment of supplies and cargo through the city.

Over the next few weeks, Keith spent more time with the Blades than he did with Team Voltron. As the team were monitoring the dispersement of rations to the latest group of refugees, he looked up and caught your eye. You started to smile at him, only for him to avert his gaze and put on his Marmora mask.

He walked away without a word, breaking a little more of your heart as he did so.

Allura noticed, and squeezed your hand in sympathy, before you stood up straighter and focused on helping the refugees, rather than wallowing in self-pity.

These people still needed you, even if Keith didn’t.

**************************************

Allura raced onto the bridge as the team looked over Coran’s shoulder as he tried to decipher the source of the alarm. “What’s going on?”

“We’ve received a distress signal. One of our convoys has been ambushed by a squad of Galra cruisers,” he told her.

Shiro’s face grew grim. “Our medical supply ships! We can’t allow the Galra to get them.”

“We must leave immediately,” Allura said. “Voltron can keep those cruisers occupied long enough for our supply ships to make their escape.”

“Actually, Voltron can’t,” you reminded them irritably. “Keith is gone.”

“He’s probably on a mission. I knew this would happen sooner or later!” Shiro growled. “You’ll have to go without Keith. The convoy needs you immediately. I’ll send him to help as soon as I find him.”

The rest of you raced towards the hangars, hoping that your alleged team leader would actually arrive in time to lead you for a change.

**************************************

The four smaller Lions approached the convoy just as the main Galra warship caught the lead ship in its tractor beam and started pulling it towards the enemy.

“We gotta get that ship out of the tractor beam!” Lance declared.

“I’ll try to ram it out. Cover me!” Hunk pushed the Yellow Lion forwards, hoping to gain enough momentum to push the stricken supply ship away from the Galra warship. Unfortunately, a fleet of jet fighters descended upon him as he closed in, causing him to pull back as he was unable to fight off that many at once.

As the Lions turned around, several more warships arrived out of hyperspace.

“Someone must have called for backup!” Hunk cried.

“They’re everywhere!” Lance shrieked as Red evaded the onslaught of laser fire from the jets.

 _‘Where are you, Keith? We need you!’_ You weren’t surprised that there was no response. Every thought you had sent out over the past several days had remained unanswered. Your life-bond ached due to Keith’s prolonged absence, and you wondered if he was hurting as much as you were.

And whether he even cared if it did.

“There are more fighters than we’ve ever seen!” Pidge yelled.

“There’s no way that we can beat all these fighters with only four Lions!” Hunk cried.

“You don’t have to!” a familiar voice replied.

Shiro flew the Black Lion towards the team, providing much needed support. The rest of you were ecstatic to have him back in charge, knowing that he would always put the team’s needs first.

“Converge on me!” Shiro ordered. “It’s time to form Voltron!”

The Lions flew in formation and, for the first time in what felt like forever, were able to form Voltron. You made short work of the fleet, easily taking down all of the warships and fighters with minimal damage to the convoy or yourselves.

Shiro told the thankful convoy that they were safe, and escorted them the remainder of the way to Olkarion.

**************************************

The team stood on the Castle bridge, when the doors opened and a lone figure walked towards you.

“Guys, I…” Keith seemed taken aback at the hostile expressions on everyone’s faces. “I… heard what happened. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help.”

“You keep saying you’re sorry, Keith, but your actions say otherwise! Do you realise that your absence put the team in jeopardy?” you asked scornfully.

“And not just the team. The refugees as well!” Lance added.

“Matter of fact, the entire Quadrant was in danger,” Pidge rubbed a little more salt into the wound.

Keith sighed. “This is not the way I wanted this to happen. But, if there’s a bright side to any of this, it’s that my absence allowed Shiro to re-establish his bond with the Black Lion. He can finally be the leader I was unable to be.”

You stared at him incredulously. The sheer audacity of his declaration made you want to strangle him.

“I’m not meant to pilot the Black Lion,” he mumbled.

Allura’s lovely face was filled with concern. “Is that why you’ve been pulling away from us?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I suppose that’s part of it.”  
  
Hunk lifted an eyebrow. “Part of it? What’s the other part?”

Keith looked at everyone but you. “The Blades have been making real headway tracking the source of this new Quintessence. They’ve been able to piece together a large network of hidden supply lines that have been transporting it for… who knows how long. And there’s good reason to believe that it could lead us directly to Lotor. A mission is being planned to infiltrate the supply line. It could take weeks, maybe months, to pull it off. But, if there is a chance, we have… _I_ have to take it. I need to be on that mission.”

Ignoring your stricken face, he stared at his mentor. “Shiro, _you_ are the rightful leader of this team. And you proved it today by reconnecting with the Black Lion. It was always meant to be yours.”

Shiro rested a hand on his shoulder. “Keith, if this is what you feel is right, then we won’t try to stop you. But just know that we’re here for you whenever you need us.”

Keith smiled. “I know you are. And I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

He and Shiro embraced, and Hunk immediately burst into tears before joining them. The rest of the team also crowded around Keith, enveloping him in a group hug.

All except you. You slipped away unnoticed, not wanting to say goodbye yet again to the young man who had your heart – and soul – inextricably linked to his own.

“We’re really going to miss you,” Pidge sobbed.

“Yeah, who am I going to make fun of?” Lance teased.

Allura smiled at him. “I know you’ll make us proud.”

Eventually, the others allowed Keith to untangle himself and catch his breath. He smiled at everyone, but the smile fell from his face when he realised you had left without him noticing. He turned to leave, hoping that he could find you before it was too late.

If it wasn’t already.

**************************************

You heard footsteps behind you as you sat in Red’s cockpit. It had become your sanctuary whenever you were feeling upset or vulnerable. Being with Red always comforted you.

“I thought I might find you here.”

“Yeah, well I really hoped you wouldn’t,” you spat. Keith was the last person you wanted to see right now.

“Y/N…”

“Save it, Keith. I don’t care.”

You could feel his hurt through your life-bond, and you revelled in it. It was petty and cruel, but you didn’t care. Keith’s continued absences had hurt you more than you had ever admitted, and you wanted him to experience even just a fraction of the pain you were feeling.

“Babe, please…”

You whirled on him in a blaze of righteous indignation. “Don’t you _dare_ ‘babe’ me! You have been pulling away from me, from this team, for weeks now. Don’t you suddenly pretend that we mean something to you.”

Keith looked like a kicked puppy, which normally would have made you want to wrap him in a hug. Now, though, you just wanted to punch him in the face.

“I just… Y/N, I don’t want to leave you like this. I want to make things right between us.”

“How can you expect me to believe that, when you keep abandoning us at the drop of a hat? You have been shutting me out, pushing me away or just outright ignoring me for weeks and I am sick of it. Just go.”

Keith reacted as if you had slapped him. “What?”

Tears filled your eyes. “I cannot keep watching you leave, Keith. I can’t keep saying goodbye to you and wondering if it’s going to be the last time that I’m ever going to see you. So please, just go.”

“Sweetheart, please…” He reached for you, but stopped when you recoiled from his touch. “I’m sorry. I need to do this. This is the right path for me to take.”

“I know. But don’t expect me to give you my blessing, because I can’t.”

Keith’s heart broke at the expression of absolute betrayal on your face. You were the most important person in the entire universe to him, and to know that he was the cause of your suffering was almost more than he could bear.

“Stay safe, Y/N. I’ll contact you when I can.” He really hoped that you would speak to him if he did, but he didn’t like his chances at the moment. He turned to leave, but looked back at you one last time, trying to memorise every feature of your face. “I love you, Y/N.”

You turned your back on him, not acknowledging his declaration in any way. With a sigh, Keith left to join Kolivan, leaving you with your heartbreak while he tried desperately to ignore his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me...


	6. Don't Panic, The Backup Has Arrived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge receives information that prompts her to embark on an important solo mission to the far reaches of the universe, and returns to the Castle with some precious cargo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter starts at the beginning of Series 4 Episode 2 “Reunion”, and then follows the majority of Series 4 Episode 3 “Black Site”

Shiro contacted Pidge, who was taking her Lion to try and follow up on a lead she’d found regarding her brother’s whereabouts. “Pidge, I don’t like the idea of you going alone. You sure you don’t need backup?”

The Green Paladin shook her head. “I’m sure. The intel that shopkeeper gave me leads me to believe they could pull out of their current location at any time. I need to act fast – this may be my only chance! Plus, you guys still have plenty to do on Olkarion.”

“You’re right. Good luck,” Shiro said.

Hunk asked Pidge to look for more fluto beans whilst on her travels, to which Lance loudly proclaimed that she should most definitely not bring back more beans. The after-effects of the last batch had not been pretty.

“Stay safe, Pidge,” you told your tiny friend solemnly. She grinned at your mother-hen tendencies before signing off, and the rest of you went back to work assisting the Olkari with rehousing the newest shipment of refugees.

**************************************

Coran was trampled under the feet of the latest group of refugees. He stood unsteadily on his feet as he weakly directed them to the processing area. Lance and Hunk watched, unable to suppress their laughter, and even Shiro was trying to smother his grin. You were the only one not laughing, still in low spirits since Keith’s most recent departure.

“Is that the last of them?” Allura asked kindly, although her eyes also glittered with mirth.  
  
“Yes, a few hundred more souls looking for a new home,” Coran replied weakly.

“A few hundred more soldiers in the fight against the Galra,” Shiro pointed out.

A shadow flew overhead, and you realised that it was the Green Lion. Pidge was back. Hunk grew excited at the return of his tech partner in crime, leading the rest of you towards the landing bay to greet your returned team-mate. The space mice seemed just as excited to see the Green Paladin again, racing towards the Green Lion just as it landed.

Pidge descended the boarding ramp with a huge grin on her face, followed by a young male who looked almost identical to her, although nearly a foot taller. “Hey, everybody! This is my brother, Matt.”

Matt stepped forward and Pidge made the introductions to Hunk, Lance and Coran, before she advised, “And this is Princess Allura of Altea.”  
  
Matt’s eyes widened comically as he noticed how beautiful the princess was, and he immediately turned on the charm in an over-the-top display of chivalry. Lance’s demeanour instantly changed from friendly to wishing he could kill Pidge’s brother with his brain.

A snort of laughter escaped before you could control it. “Jeez, Matt, I forgot how much of a dork you are.”

He turned to you, his eyes sparking with recognition. “Y/N? Oh my God, what are you doing here?”

Matt grabbed you in a hug, spinning you around in a circle as you laughingly tried to extricate yourself from his embrace.

“I decided being stuck at the Garrison was boring without you, so I helped these guys kidnap Shiro and then we joined a space gang,” you grinned. It was the first genuine smile you’d worn in weeks.

“Shiro?” Matt dropped you in shock at the mention of your leader’s name. He looked as you gestured behind you with your thumb, and he ran up to the team’s mentor. “Shiro! It’s so good to see you… um, Sir.”

Shiro politely shook the hand the young man offered, before pulling him in for a hug. Matt stood stock still for half a second, before happily returning the embrace. Shiro smiled at the latest addition to the ranks. “Pidge never gave up on finding you.”

Matt looked proudly at his little sister. “Yeah, she can be pretty stubborn at times.”

“And I want you to know that all of us will help you find your father,” Shiro promised.

“Thanks,” Matt whispered gratefully.

Pidge stepped up and gestured grandly. “Matt, this is the Castle of Lions.”

Her brother gasped in admiration, and Pidge yanked him inside, eager to show him around.

Lance’s expression was still dark at the arrival of yet another perceived rival for Allura’s affections, although you didn’t really think he had anything to worry about. You linked your arm through his and tried to soothe his ruffled temper by pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek and telling him that he was still the prettiest boy in the Castle.

It seemed to help, and Lance seemed just a little bit happier as he followed you inside the Castle.

**************************************

You had joined Pidge and Matt in the lounge after she had finished showing her brother around the Castle, as you wanted to catch up with him as well. Although he was a couple of years older than you, he’d been a friend when you were at the Garrison. You’d met him when he joined the cadets. His father was already well-known to you, being a senior officer at the Garrison when you were growing up, and your parents had encouraged your friendship with Matt. Commander Holt was well respected, and Matt seemed wholesome enough to be considered a good influence. However, your parents failed to notice the mile-wide streak of mischief that ran through him, much to your delight, and the two of you had become fast friends in a very short space of time.

“So, Y/N, last time I saw you, you still had braces and pigtails,” Matt teased.

“Yes, well, the last time I saw _you,_ you were still a midget. A lot has obviously changed in the past couple of years,” you replied snootily. Your huffy response was made less believable by the grin currently gracing your features.

Matt laughed as he gave you a one-armed hug. “God, I’ve missed you. You were always good at reminding me not to take everything so seriously.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” you said. You had been exceedingly worried about the safety of your friend, and seeing him again made you realise just how much you had missed him while he’d been gone. It didn’t fill the ache in your heart caused by Keith’s prolonged absence, but Matt’s presence did go a small way to making you feel a bit happier.

“So, you and Keith, huh?” grinned the older Holt sibling, elbowing you in the ribs.

You scowled, not appreciating the reminder of your absent partner. “Me and Keith what?”

Matt looked at you slyly. “Pidge told me about you and Keith getting yourselves life-bonded. I always knew you two had a thing for each other.”

“I most certainly did _not_ have a _thing_ for Keith!” you squawked indignantly.

Matt smirked at you knowingly while Pidge snorted with laughter. Luckily, you were saved from further embarrassment as Hunk found the three of you in the lounge, and he brought out celebratory milkshakes for the siblings’ long-awaited reunion. Joining you, he turned to Matt. “So, like, what have you been doing since you got busted out of Galra prison?”

Matt sipped his shake before answering. “I’ve been stationed at a listening outpost, monitoring Galra radio chatter.”

“Are you serious? Then you should totally check out the Galra-finder Pidge built,” Hunk told him. “We used it to track down a Galra fleet and save a planet.”

“Hunk made the locator that led us to the first Voltron Lion, and we just built an upgraded version of it to track Lotor,” Pidge added.

Matt’s face was full of pride. “Wow, Pidge. Dad would be so proud if he could see what you’ve done here.”

The tiny girl beamed at her brother’s praise.

**************************************

Matt’s eyes were full of awe as he inspected Pidge’s ‘Galra-finder’. “This is a pretty sweet algorithm for locating Galra targets within a statistically acceptable margin of error. And I love that you colour-coded it, because what are we, animals?”

The two siblings chortled, and you rolled your eyes. “God, you two are such nerds,” you teased affectionately.

Hunk munched on some fluto beans. “Ugh, you two are definitely related.”

Matt turned to the engineer. “Hunk, using Fraunhofer lines to track Voltron, and then the comet? I mean, that’s genius!”

Hunk’s expression grew smug. “Oh, well, yeah. I try.”

“Check this out.” Matt dug in his cloak and pulled out a data card with a flourish. You and Hunk immediately sat bolt upright. “This is all the relevant data from my time with the rebels. I think if we plug this info into the setup you guys have here, it might fill in the gaps. Then, we might just have the best anti-Galra intelligence mining operation in this – or any other – reality.”

“This one time, we went to another reality… it was pretty lame,” Hunk said.

“Wait. What?” Matt looked at Pidge accusingly. “ _You_ were in a different reality?”

Pidge smirked at her older brother. “No big deal,” she deadpanned, snatching the data pad from Matt’s fingers.

Matt stared, before a huge grin covered his face. “My little sister.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty cool,” you said, bumping his shoulder with yours. “Much cooler than you, at any rate.”

He playfully shoved you back. “You can’t talk, Miss Detention-Is-My-Middle-Name.”

You very maturely poked your tongue out at him, and then the two of you raced after Pidge to see what she and Hunk could do with Matt’s intel.

**************************************

You sat quietly, watching the three tech-heads working feverishly as they tried to decipher the information that Matt had collected. Tech wizardry was not your wheelhouse, but you didn’t want to be stuck with a sulky Lance, or made to do any actual work by the Alteans or Shiro, so you took refuge with the nerd brigade instead. You were honest enough with yourself to admit that you were a huge stickybeak, and wanted to be the first to find out any information that they could obtain about your enemy.

Matt looked up from his computer. “I think we’ve just about got it.”

You looked up at the main screen just as it lit up with numerous Galra locations in several quadrants. The four of you whooped for joy. “All right!”

“This is unbelievable. We’re tracking Galra fleet movements almost live,” Hunk crowed.

“I think I know a few tweaks we can make to extend our range,” Pidge said.

Matt frowned as he went back to his monitor. “Hold on, Pidge.”

“What’s up?”

You noted that several numbers were lit up in yellow on the screen, as opposed to the blue of the normal script.

“It’s a scrambled message,” Matt replied. “I’ve collected hundreds of them. I never crack ‘em.”

“Let me see,” Pidge said. Her brother flicked the info to her screen, and she scanned it. Frowning, she muttered, “I’m guessing this is not just a simple letter for number swap.”

“I’ve run these through every kind of decryption technology I can think of, and I’ve spent days with just the numbers and a Galra-language log. Nothing.” Matt seemed offended that he hadn’t been able to figure it out.

“Maybe they’re not words,” you pondered, your head tilted to the side as if a different perspective would suddenly reveal the answers. “Maybe they’re just numbers.”

Pidge’s frown deepened. “Maybe… they’re a frequency.”

“A quantum signal that broadcasts other frequencies to go to?” Matt sounded incredulous. “It’s too high. These are more than three thousand gigahertz.”

Noting your head still tilted to the side, Pidge was struck with a sudden flash of inspiration. Typing frantically on her keyboard, she said, “Invert it.”

“What?”

“For every wave we receive, there’s only partial transmittance, right?” she said, as she flipped the information ninety degrees.

Hunk’s eyes lit up. “Oh, right, yeah! So, we figure the transmission co-efficient…”

“… and tune for the frequency of the reflected waves!” Matt finished excitedly.

You didn’t even try to pretend that you knew what any of them were talking about.

Pidge finished typing, and transposed the current frequency over the existing data. The computer finished its calculations, and suddenly a radio transmission began playing. The four of you let out loud cheers, when suddenly Matt’s eyes widened.

He shushed you so that he could listen to the transmission.

**[… Members of the Seventh, Twelfth and Fourteenth Fleet. Assemble to rally point Trox-Lite immediately. Engage targets at coordinates in next transmission. By order of Emperor Zarkon.]**

You stared at each other in bewilderment. Hunk whispered, “Zarkon is alive?”

Pidge looked up at the main screen. “Guys, look at this.”

The Galra tracker showed the fleets converging on a single point, which none of you could identify.

“I’ve never seen troop mobilisation on this level before,” Matt gasped.

“What are they attacking?” Hunk asked in confusion.

“That’s just it,” Pidge noted. “As far as I can tell, nothing. There are no planets, no rebel ships, no Blade of Marmora bases. Nothing.”

“We have to tell Shiro,” you said, turning to find your leader. The others followed behind, still trying to make sense of what you had just seen.

**************************************

Allura looked solemn after she heard what Hunk, Pidge and Matt had discovered. “Whoever they are attacking, we have to help.”

“I don’t like it,” Shiro said. “We should be gathering intelligence, not diving into a fight without knowing why. Especially now that we know Zarkon is alive.”

“We could go check it out,” Pidge offered.

Lance quirked an eyebrow at the tiny Paladin. “I think they’d probably notice us.”

Pidge clicked her fingers at him. “Not if we’re cloaked.”

Matt once again looked dumfounded at his younger sibling’s abilities. “You have cloaking? Who _are_ you?”

“I’m not sure it’s safe for just the Green Lion,” Shiro objected.

“I’m pretty sure I can upgrade Voltron with cloaking,” Pidge boasted. “We could all go.”

Lance elbowed her playfully, causing her to wince. “Were you just waiting for your big brother to show up before you rolled that one out?”

Pidge rubbed the back of her neck shyly. “It’s something that I’ve been working on for a while now, but I can’t pilot the Green Lion and operate the cloaking at the same time.” She gave her brother a sly look. “But if I had a co-pilot…”

Matt grinned down at her. “Absolutely.”

Shiro nodded. “Let’s get to the Lions.”

**************************************

Voltron flew towards the heavy fire of the Galra fleet. Shiro’s voice came over the comms. “We’re getting close. Everyone, get ready.”

Matt ran the cloaking sub-routine as Voltron flew closer. He advised when it was activated, although he wasn’t sure how long it would last.

“All right, let’s take a look at who the Galra are attacking.” Allura sounded grim.

Everyone looked on in disbelief as the Galra warships appeared to be firing upon… each other.

“What the cheese?” Lance swore. “It’s Galra-on-Galra violence. Again!”

“These people just do not like each other,” Hunk muttered.

You noticed two smaller ships fleeing the scene. “Whose ships are those?”  
  
Allura’s voice responded. “It’s Lotor.”

“Lotor and Zarkon must be fighting for control of the Empire,” Shiro surmised.

“Guys, those ships are getting awfully close!” Hunk cried as Lotor’s jets headed straight towards Voltron. They sped past, and you heard Matt swear.

“The trails from Lotor’s ship’s drives messed with our cloaking spectrum,” he advised.

“Can you find a workaround?” Pidge asked frantically.

“It’s too late! Our cover’s been blown!” Shiro cried, noticing the Galra fleet descending upon Voltron’s position. “We may have to engage.”

He was proven correct half a second later as the warships commenced firing upon you.

“Hunk! Use your Bayard!” Shiro ordered.

Hunk complied, summoning Voltron’s shoulder cannon. He fired, and you watched with satisfaction as the Galra fleet was destroyed in a series of detonations.

“All right, that’ll hold ‘em!” Shiro said, turning Voltron back towards the Castle. “Let’s get out of here.”

A transmission came through the comms, and a chill went down your spine as you heard the booming voice of Emperor Zarkon.

**[Attention, citizens of the Galra Empire. From this day forward, my son Lotor is to be regarded as a fugitive criminal of the Empire. All citizens are authorised to use deadly force to stop him, or any of his soldiers. I repeat, Prince Lotor is an enemy of the state. Engage with extreme prejudice. Kill on sight.]**

You and Lance stared at each other in shock. The Emperor had just ordered his own son to be eliminated.

Things were getting beyond weird.


	7. Give 'Em The Ol' Razzle Dazzle (And They'll Beg For More)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coran gets carried away with turning the Paladins into intergalactic stars when he designs an elaborate, special-effects-filled live action tour of the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on Series 4, Episode 4: “The Voltron Show!”

The team stood on the bridge of the Castle, readying themselves to leave Olkarion and continue the mission to increase the number of planets willing to join the Voltron Coalition.

“Good news,” Shiro said. “There’s been an upsurge in planets that have been liberated from Galra control by the Blade of Marmora and the rebel forces. Convincing these planets to join our Coalition is Priority One.”

“Oooh! Does that mean more Voltron events?” Coran squeaked excitedly.

Shiro smiled at the Altean. “Yes. Believe it or not, the Voltron show of arms goes a long way in inspiring others to join the fight.”

He pressed a few buttons on the console and brought up the constellation map, highlighting several areas. “The green clusters you see here, here and here represent planets and, in some cases, entire star systems that have joined the Coalition. Not coincidentally, those are also the areas we’ve personally visited.” 

“All right! Razzle dazzle time!” Lance brought out the jazz hands, then immediately looked sheepish as you looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “For the war effort, of course.”

Shiro turned back to the Altean advisor. “Coran, can you set everything up?”

“I know just where to start,” Coran assured him.

**************************************

Voltron shifted the last column into place at the hospital that the team were assisting with repairs. Shiro sounded satisfied. “Now this hospital can service the entire sector.”

“That’s only the first step in helping these injured war veterans,” Coran said pompously. “Come on in! It’s time!”

You tried to smother your groan as you followed the others inside. Coran’s ideas were getting more and more ridiculous, but if it was going to increase the chances of gaining further allies for the Coalition, then Shiro had decreed that the team would do whatever Coran asked of you.

“Everyone, check your wrist devices,” Coran ordered as the team waited in what appeared to be basically a broom cupboard. “I uploaded a script onto them.”

Everybody squinted suspiciously at the script that Coran had provided for today’s show. Hunk was the first to voice his discomfort. “What is this?”

“Yeah, there’s barely anybody out there,” Lance fretted.

“I scaled down the show so we can do it indoors for the patients,” Coran replied. “You know, to lift their spirits.”

Pidge looked outraged. “This isn’t even factually accurate!”

Coran stood with his hands on his hips. “Well, this is the _Legend_ of Voltron, not the _Documentary_ of Voltron. Speaking of which… Allura, you’ll be playing Keith.”

Allura snarled in disgust. Coran continued hastily, “The word of Keith leaving the team hasn’t really spread yet, so I didn’t want to confuse anyone. Besides, playing Keith is easy. Just act really moody.”  
  
The princess seemed to be getting the hang of her character, as she glared at her advisor with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Your expression was even darker at the mention of your absent life-bonded partner. You had been increasingly irritable and short-tempered since Keith’s departure, and had even snapped at Hunk for having the audacity to be happy that morning. Lance had told you off for making the team’s unofficial mascot cry, which had only made your bad mood worse, causing you to pick a fight with Pidge, and as a result the entire team was cranky and out of sorts.

“Come on, everyone in positions! Just follow the script!” Coran called bossily. He bustled out to the stage to greet the patients, informing them that they were about to witness the Paladins of Voltron risking life and limb to save Princess Allura from the evil clutches of Emperor Zarkon.

The spotlight shifted to Shiro, who found himself front and centre. Standing awkwardly, he blinked several times before Coran grumpily prompted him to begin. Bringing up his script, Shiro spoke rather woodenly. “I will save the princess even if it means taking on the Galra empire with my bare…” A huge sigh as he held up his prosthetic arm. “… hand.”

Hunk wandered on from stage left, reading from his script in a monotone. “You won’t have to do it a-lone, because you’ll have me. Hunk.”

“And me, Pidge,” said an extremely underwhelmed Pidge.

“And me… Y/N…” you mumbled unenthusiastically as you joined the others in the spotlight.

Lance bounced onto the stage enthusiastically. “And me, Lance!” He looked at his script before continuing. “Holds Bayard dashingly… Oh…”

His voice trailed off as he realised that he’d recited his directions out loud. With a grin and a flourish, he produced the Red Bayard in swashbuckling style.

Allura humphed on stage. “And me, Keith.”

Shiro spoke again, his voice still extremely stilted. “Thank you, team, for always being by my side through thick or thin. Now come along. Together we’ll…”

Each Paladin struck a ridiculous pose, before reciting completely out of sync. “… defeat Zarkon.”

The lights came on to reveal a completely empty room.

“Well, that bombed!” Hunk stomped offstage in a huff, with the rest of you following suit.

“Yeah, speaking of bombs, we need to get back to doing airshows with explosions and lasers,” Lance told Coran. “And bombs!”

He left Coran sitting despondently on the stage, trying to figure out how to expand Voltron’s theatrical horizons without even pretending to maintain the team’s dignity.

**************************************

The Castleship descended on a windy planet, the swirling dust storms making it impossible to see more than three feet in front of you.

“Voltron airshow, here we come!” Coran cried gleefully.

“I hope you booked a larger venue this time,” Lance whined.

What a diva.

You looked out at the dusty atmosphere doubtfully. “I’m not sure that these are the best conditions for a show…”

A grumpy-looking alien appeared on the vid-screen. “Well, if it isn’t Team Voltron. A day late and a phetroneum short.”

“I’m sorry, is there a problem?” Coran asked in a small voice.

“Is there a problem? Yes! Yes, there _is_ a problem!” the creature yelled. “You were supposed to be here _yesterday_. It was the one day out of the year we have clear skies. The other seven hundred and twenty days are like this!”

“Oh, I see my mistake. I forgot to calculate for time dilation,” Coran apologised.

The creature didn’t seem impressed at Coran’s admission, yelling that the entire planet had left their burrows for Clear Day to see the Voltron show, only to be severely disappointed at the lack of robot action. His ranting was cut off by a loud thump outside the Castle.

“What was that?” Allura cried with alarm. Coran brought up the vid-feed from the external cameras, showing a large moth-like creature attacking the Castle.

“It’s a Swarthian Mirrakeet,” the alien informed her. “They show up every day of the year except one. Guess which day?”

“Okay, we get it,” Lance said, hoping it was a rhetorical question.

“Clear Day!”

Lance groaned. The question wasn’t rhetorical.

“Don’t worry, they’ll chase any beam of light,” Coran said. “I’ll lead him away while we get out of here.”

A beam of light shone from the Castle’s spire, and the creature chased after it, allowing the Castle to make a safe getaway.

Coran’s shoulders slumped. “I’m really sorry about that.”

“Coran, if we’re going to expand this Coalition in the short amount of time that we have, we can’t afford these kind of mistakes,” Shiro told him.

“That last show was pretty lame,” added Lance. “I don’t know if you’re cut out to be managing this whole thing.”

Coran looked stricken. “Just give me one more chance! I promise to turn it around.”

Shiro agreed, and the rest of you hoped that it wasn’t a mistake.

**************************************

You stared out at the space mall, your expression extremely disgruntled. “It’s official. We’ve reached rock bottom.”

Shiro seemed to agree with you. “Yeah… I don’t know if _this_ is the best place to get our message out to the widest audience.”

“Shiro, baby, you’re right! I want what you want, man.” For some reason, Coran seemed to be talking like some sort of cartoonish Southern plantation owner. “But I’ve had some epiphanies. Some ideas! Some realisations! What we have to do is broadcast a show across an entire galaxy! We could reach the biggest audience in the history of intergalactic showbiz.”

Everyone stared as if Coran had officially lost all of his marbles. Everyone except Lance, who looked ecstatic at the prospect of a galaxy-wide audience to show off to.

“But we need to workshop some ideas before we can take it to the next level.” He winked at Pidge grandiosely. “You with me, kid?”

Quirking an eyebrow, she muttered, “You seem… different…”

“You mean _‘better’_! Look, it’s my mission to make sure our message really sings!” He kept making increasingly outlandish statements, and eventually all of you agreed to do things his way just to get him to stop.

This new Coran was more than a little terrifying.

After convincing all of you that a more theatrical element was required in order for the show to really capture the audience’s attention, he arranged for a remote-controlled version of the ro-beast you’d fought on the Balmera to fight you on stage, and you noted that the children in the audience were wide-eyed at the suspense Coran was able to build before the Paladins entered.

Cartwheeling onto stage – “Never walk onto stage when you can leap!” Coran had instructed – you, Shiro and Allura struck a pose centre stage. Pidge and Hunk joined you, and then Lance posed heroically as he announced that the monster’s time was up.

The audience clapped appreciatively, which helped you to feel slightly less silly. Only slightly.

Coran had ordered you to shout your lines as loudly as possible – to increase the dramatic effect – and Lance and Hunk in particular took this advice to heart.

Once the team had ‘defeated’ the monster, you struck your final poses as instructed, and Coran announced to the crowd that the Voltron Coalition needed their assistance to defeat Zarkon. Several audience members rushed to the stage to pledge their support for the Coalition, much to Shiro’s relief. The rest of the crowd cheered wildly as the show concluded.

“At least the crowd stayed until the end,” Pidge said as the team made their way backstage.

“That actually went really well,” Shiro said with surprise.

“Yeah, you’re trending galaxy-wide! I mean, you’re a four-quadrant hit!” Coran sounded ecstatic. “You’re plus-seven is a plus-ten! But that’s just the beginning.”

You noted with some alarm that Coran’s eye was twitching uncontrollably. You had a bad feeling about this.

**************************************

Coran’s excitement grew as he announced Team Voltron’s very first stadium show on the next planet. A tall, baguette-shaped creature named Bi Boh Bi was assisting him with the production, which seemed completely over the top as far as you were concerned.

Because tonight, the Paladins of Voltron were taking on Zarkon… on ice.

Two of the residents of the planet skated onto the ice, portraying Emperor Zarkon and his witch, Haggar. The crowd booed.

Hunk came out, brandishing his cannon, before losing his balance and ending up in the splits. It was completely unintentional, but the crowd loved it, cheering the Yellow Paladin wildly. He lost his balance entirely, and face planted on the ice, causing the crowd to hoot with laughter at his expense.

Next into the arena was Pidge, who wore a pained expression as Coran bombastically announced that she would use her ‘math and calculations’ to defeat Zarkon. She was stopped by a smoke bomb from ‘Haggar’, and ended up tied up in a pink ribbon as she was defeated by the witch’s ‘magic’.

“We need teamwork! The only way to defeat Zarkon is with Voltron!” Shiro led the team to the centre of the ice, where they posed in formation.

Feeling more than slightly self-conscious, you stood behind Lance, hands on his hips, as he held a red cardboard Lion in front of him. The others also wore cardboard versions of their Lions, and all of you piled into a pyramid as you formed ‘Voltron.’ The team moved forward, and the ‘Lions’ shot paper streamers from their ‘mouth cannons’, thus defeating the evil Emperor and his equally nasty witch. The crowd screamed their appreciation, even as Hunk whined that he felt silly. You knew exactly how he felt.

You wondered if it was too late to join Keith, wherever in the galaxy he was, in order to avoid making an even bigger spectacle of yourself than you already had. But then you’d have to speak to him again, and you weren’t quite ready to do that after the last conversation you’d had before he’d left for the latest mission with the Blades.

You also hoped that footage of these shows would never find their way to Earth. If James Griffin ever saw them, he would never let you live it down.

**************************************

You threw your costume down in disgust. “How many of these appearances do we have to put on?” you whined.

Shiro looked at you sympathetically. “I know they seem humiliating, Y/N, but Coran’s ideas are working. Every performance draws more people to the cause.”

“Exactly. All that stuff,” smirked Lance, who was busily signing autographs for several female aliens.

Coran shoved them away as he slammed the door on them, ushering Lance back towards the group to discuss the next round of shows. “First of all, great job! Tonight was a big success. Now we’re back on track, better than ever! There’s no doubt about it. You’re stars. But to go supernova, you’ve got to push it even further.”

You did not like the sound of that one little bit.

Pidge seemed to share your assessment of the situation. “A supernova is an exploding star,” she pointed out.

“And what’s brighter than that?” Coran yelled. “Here’s the deal. I worked out very specific personas for each of you. This is gonna help the audience connect on a much deeper level with each team member. There’s Loverboy Lance…”

“Loverboy Lance?” The Blue Paladin mulled it over, then grinned with satisfaction. “It’s perfect because it’s true.”

“You’re Science Whiz Pidge,” Coran told the Green Paladin. “Oh, look out Big Brain!”

Next was Allura, who was portraying ‘Lone Wolf Keith’, causing her to growl in annoyance. Hunk was dubbed ‘Humorous Hunk’, while you were labelled ‘Sweet Y/N’ due to your tendency to fuss over anyone who wasn’t one hundred percent happy.

“And last but not least, Shiro the Hero!” You snorted at your leader’s unimpressed expression. It was definitely the Garrison recruitment posters all over again.

**************************************

Each show seemed to get more and more outrageous as the team’s ‘tour’ of the galaxy continued. Sold-out stadiums featuring light shows, explosions, fireworks, choreographed fight scenes and fantastic special effects just added to the appeal. Coran seemed determined to make each show even bigger and better than the one before.

On the way to the next show, Shiro walked up to the Altean. “Coran, I really think it would go a long way if I could make a speech about how we’re trying to unite a front and build a Coalition.”

“What? Stop talking! You’re Shiro the Hero. Heroes don’t speak!” Coran dismissed him. “You’re a silent ninja.”

“But…”

“Shhhh! Muscles speak louder than words,” Coran told him seriously. Poor Shiro looked like he wanted to cry when Coran insisted he wear a super-tight black t-shirt in order to show off said muscles. You and Allura both quietly agreed that Coran might be onto something. Shiro’s physique was quite possibly a significant contributing factor to the popularity of the Voltron show. At least with the female population.

The others had similar issues with Coran’s direction for their characters. Pidge complained about having to say fake science words; Hunk detested the fact that he had basically become a walking fart joke; Allura – sorry, _Keith_ – was a grouch who yelled at everyone to leave him alone; and you were portrayed as nothing but a damsel in distress, always needing someone to save you, even though you were more than capable of taking care of yourself.

Lance seemed to be the only one enjoying his role, playing up his loverboy persona and becoming even more outrageously flirtatious than usual.

At least one of the Paladins was enjoying themselves.

**************************************

Coran gloated as the team reviewed the constellation map, showing an increasing number of planets pledging to join the Voltron Coalition. “Look at all the green on this map!”

Allura said, “We certainly had our doubts at first, but I have to admit Coran, your plan is actually working.”

Coran agreed. “And it’s only going to get better with a few improvements!”

You thunked your head on the table. “ _More_ improvements?”   
  
“Please, no more farts,” Hunk begged.

“Hear me out,” Coran said, holding up a hand. “First, it’s time Voltron starts to talk. Everyone’s dying to hear what the big guy sounds like. Next, we’ll introduce new weapons and new outfits for each of you.”

Shiro sounded just as bewildered as the rest of you felt. “Coran, what are you talking about? We only have one more show. After the big intergalactic broadcast, we’re done.”

Coran seemed to lose what little grip he had on his sanity entirely. “What are you talking about? We’re just getting started here! We can’t stop now!"

“Uh, Coran, you feeling okay?” Hunk asked with concern.

Lance also looked worried. “Yeah, you seem extra twitchy.”

“You must realise that we need to get back to fighting Zarkon,” Allura reminded him gently.

“We _are_ fighting Zarkon! Six nights a week, and twice on the astral conflux!” Coran’s eye was twitching even more violently than usual.

Shiro gazed at the Altean seriously. “Coran, we have to do our next event but after that, no more shows.”

Coran ranted and raved about how he was a visionary, and that he’d get rid of all of you and find new Paladins, and that none of you would ever work in showbiz again. Except for Shiro, of course, as he was the most popular team member. But the rest of you were definitely washed up talents as far as Coran was concerned. He stormed off, still screaming to himself.

Lance seemed confused to learn that Shiro was the most popular one.

**************************************

Shiro looked at all of you sternly. “Now remember, guys. This is being broadcast galaxy-wide. It’s the final piece in our plan. So let’s make our last appearance our best appearance.”

“I’m concerned about Coran,” Allura muttered.

Hunk blew a raspberry. “He was getting crazy. He’ll realise that soon enough.”  
  
Bi Boh Bi chattered away at all of you before bustling away, and the team went out to give the crowd the old razzle dazzle one last time.

As it was nearing the show’s conclusion, the ground started to rumble. It was meant to be a Galra ro-beast, but it sounded much larger than what you had heard during rehearsals. Obviously, Coran had decided to give your monster an upgrade for the final performance.

The team formed Voltron – with the real Lions this time – and stood in the midde of the arena, spotlight shining on you as you awaited your final confrontation with the showstopping creature that Coran had created for you.

Unfortunately, it appeared that the monster was actually real. Somehow, Coran had brought the giant moth-creature from the windstorm planet, and it was going on a rampage through the stadium as it chased the laser lights which were flashing non-stop.

Coran seemed to realise his mistake, as he yelled at the team that the monster was indeed real.

“Wait, that’s not just really great special effects?” Hunk sounded extremely disappointed.

The moth-creature fired at Voltron, and Pidge brought up the shield just in time to defend all of you from the blast.

Voltron fired its laser at the creature, which did no damage to it at all, instead only seeming to anger it further. You looked up at the bright screens displaying the scene below, and had an idea. “We can use the lights from the hoverscreen to lure the monster away from the crowd!”

Allura used the Blue Lion to kick the hoverscreen towards the hole that the monster had crawled out of – Keith had been right when he’d said all those months ago that Voltron might need to play in a soccer match – and the monster followed, lured by the lights.

The crowd screamed in appreciation, not realising that they’d been in any actual danger. The team sighed in relief that the show hadn’t ended in disaster.

**************************************

Coran apologised for taking the team so far off-mission, blaming his increasingly bizarre behaviour on a ‘brain worm’ that he’d obtained from an Unilu trader at the hospital.

Shiro pulled up the constellation map. “Well, believe it or not, the plan worked. Our Coalition is bigger than ever.”

Bi Boh Bi came in, and Coran screamed at him for interrupting while he was talking to the ‘talent.’ The silly little creature drooped in despair.

The rest of you quietly slipped away, not wanting to discover that Coran had any more hare-brained schemes for all of you.

The Voltron Show was over.

For now.


	8. Defying Gravity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Voltron formulate a plan to continue the Coalition’s momentum and take control of more Galra territory.
> 
> The forces of good and evil gather on the planet Naxzela, where Voltron faces unexpected danger which only one person can help them escape. Three guesses as to just who that is…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer, as it relates to the events of both Series 4, Episode 5 “Begin the Blitz” and Series 4, Episode 6 “A New Defender”

The team stood on the Castle bridge, as Kolivan’s face appeared on the vid-screen. You kept your eyes firmly focused on the constellation map in front of you, not trusting yourself to remain calm if you looked at the young man standing next to the Blade of Marmora leader.

“Entire Galra fleets have been mobilised,” Kolivan informed you. “Zarkon seems to be out looking for Lotor.”

“It’s only a matter of time before he gets the Empire back in order,” Shiro replied. “We need to take advantage of this moment.”

Princess Allura turned to him in surprise. “What are you getting at, Shiro?”

“Now is the time to assemble the Coalition that Voltron has been building. With intelligence gathered by the Blades and Coalition observers, combined with Pidge’s Galra tracking software, we now have a detailed map of the Galra Empire. I’ve identified an intermittent line of Coalition planets that runs through the territory. If you look closely, there’s only one Galra-occupied planet left on that line.”

Shiro highlighted the planet in question on the constellation map. Allura frowned when she noted it.

“Naxzela,” she said flatly.

“Exactly. If we capture Naxzela and solidify that line, we can cut off all the Galra troops behind it from Central Command, and use our position to defeat them.”

You turned your stunned expression to Shiro. “Wow. We could take back a third of the Galra Empire in one fell swoop.”

“Do we have a plan?” Hunk asked.

Shiro’s face was stern. “We attack several locations across the region. At once.”

At everyone’s gasps, he elaborated further. “First, we’ll have to cut off communications between the region and Galra Central Command, by striking the satellite relay station orbiting Vantax-Five.”

Hunk gave your leader a thumbs up. “Pidge and I can handle that.”

“The Blades have informed us of two Galra defense systems coming online called Zaiforge cannons,” Shiro continued. “Now, these cannons can strike any target within our combat theatre. The first, in high orbit around the planet Tekk, will be attacked by Coalition air forces led by Matt and Captain Olia. Kolivan will lead a Marmoran strike team against the second cannon, located on the surface of Sentharma, which is vulnerable to a covert ground attack.”

Shiro kept his attention on the constellation map as he highlighted the locations of the cannons. “We intend to take control of these cannons and use Zarkon’s own firepower against him. Once the Coalition forces and Blades neutralise these targets, Galra defences will be weakened, allowing us to take down the remaining Galra-occupied planets in this area.”

He brought up the area he was talking about. “While our forces are taking control of the planets, Naxzela will already be under attack.”

“By whom?” Allura queried.

Shiro paused for half a second before answering. “Voltron.”

“Aw, yeah! Team Voltron’s gonna drop on Naxzela, form Hunk’s giant laser cannon and be all like, _Pow! Pow! Pow!”_ Lance’s enthusiasm got the better of him as he grabbed you and Pidge around the neck, almost strangling both of you. “Easy peasy.”

“Unfortunately, not that easy,” Shiro said solemnly. “Naxzela will be tough. It’s heavily fortified with Galra. Our attack must be swift enough to neutralise the Galra forces before they have time to contact Galra Headquarters. Because if they call for reinforcements…”

“…We’ll be caught in a fight on two fronts,” you concluded in a whisper.

You felt Keith’s concern echoing your own, but continued to avert your gaze from him. You hadn’t spoken to him since he’d left Team Voltron several weeks ago, and although you desperately missed each other, your pride and his stubbornness meant that neither of you was quite sure how to break the tension between you.

Kolivan spoke once more. “If this works, the Voltron Coalition will possess a third of the Galra Empire’s territory. It will be a massive victory.”

“And inspire a whole new wave of rebellions,” Allura added.

“There’s no time to waste,” Shiro said.

As the team disbanded for their various missions, Keith’s voice sounded in your mind. _‘Y/N… stay safe.’_

You hesitated for a moment, before replying. _‘You too.’_

**************************************

“All right, Paladins. It’s time to gather the Coalition,” Shiro told you all. “Friends and allies from across the universe must come together to take on the Galra. With their help, we’ll have a chance to turn the tides of this war. We all knew this moment would come, and we’re more prepared now than we’ve ever been. Let’s do this.”

The Coalition forces gathered on the bridge drew strength from Shiro’s speech, and you had never been more proud of your leader than you were right now. He was an inspiration, and it was a reminder of why so many of the Garrison crew – officers and cadets alike – had held him in such high esteem.

Shiro the Hero, indeed.

**************************************

Hunk and Pidge stood at the base of the Castleship, speaking – surprisingly – to Rolo and Nyma, the aliens who had attempted to steal the Blue Lion in the early days of Team Voltron.

Rolo said, “We heard about the Voltron Coalition against Zarkon.”

“We heard about you, too,” Hunk replied pleasantly. “Matt told us you’ve been helping with the Coalition forces.”

“You guys have really inspired us,” Rolo told him. The two shook hands, and you wondered if you’d entered another alternate reality.

**************************************

“All right, Princess. It’s time to begin the broadcast,” Coran advised.

Allura stood beneath the Power Crystal. “Have we secured communications?”

Pidge nodded. “Yes. Matt and I used the rebels transponder encryption.”

You tried to smother a snort as Matt waved at the princess, his face burning scarlet. His crush on the lovely Altean had not abated, and he was adorably awkward around her.

Allura took a deep breath, then powered up the Crystal and connected the Castle’s communication system to broadcast through to the far reaches of the universe. Her voice rang out clear and strong.

“Fellow members of the Voltron Coalition. If you are hearing me now, it is because you have pledged to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us in the fight against Zarkon’s enslavement of the free peoples of the universe. But that enslavement is about to be dealt a crushing blow. The time for a full-scale attack on the Galra Empire is now. Far in the future, when they speak of this day, they will speak of our sacrifice. But they will also remember this as the day that freedom began to overtake tyranny. You all have your missions. You know what to do. Good luck. We’ll see you on the other side.”

You might have imagined it, but you could have sworn you heard cheers sounding throughout the universe as the princess concluded her speech.

**************************************

Pidge and Hunk flew the cloaked Green Lion to take down the Galra communication satellite before meeting the rest of you at the rendezvous point, while Matt and his team headed to Tekk to try and neutralise the cannon there. The rebels had much more difficulty, with more than a third of their forces decimated before they could attack. Olia ordered them to take cover behind a large asteroid until the Blades advised that they had control of their cannon.

The Blades were desperately attempting to reach the cannon on Sentharma before more Coalition troops were lost. Keith and Kolivan took out several of the sentries before they could alert anyone, and headed into the control room of the Galra base. Just as the Galra commander started ordering his troops to contact Galra High Command, Kolivan took him down, along with his sentries.

Keith flew towards the sentry manning the Zaiforge cannon, taking him down with a well aimed kick to the face. With a self-satisfied smirk, he took over the controls of the cannon. “Now, let’s see how this thing works!”

Coran advised the remaining Coalition troops that the Blades had control of the Sentharma cannon, and the attack on Naxzela began in earnest.

**************************************

The Galra on the surface of Naxzela gawked in confusion as the hull of a Galra warship crashed to the surface, torn apart by something and now just a smoking ruin. When they noticed Voltron land a split second later, they decided it was time to make a strategic retreat.

As more warships circled overhead, Shiro gave the orders. “All right, Paladins. We’ve only got one chance to take Naxzela. So let’s make it count.”

Voltron fired repeatedly at the ships in the air, as well as the installations on the planet’s surface.

Lance looked to his left. “Incoming cruiser, three o’clock!”

A large laser was fired towards Voltron, who managed to evade it, although with some difficulty. It was more powerful than any blast you’d experienced before. Another blast sounded behind Voltron.

“What was that?” asked Allura.

“I didn’t see anyth-” Lance’s reply was cut off by yet another blast from behind. The team was hit time and time again, the onslaught from the orbiting warships relentless.

“What’s hitting us?” Shiro groaned in aggravation.

Pidge advised that the team was in a minefield, but the mines were cloaked and so they were undetectable without technology. “My systems are able to detect the mines, but there’s just too many for us to safely manoeuvre through them! And with the cruisers covering all possible exits from this minefield, we have no way out!”

“Wait a tick! Perhaps I can freeze the mines,” Allura suggested. “Then we could fly out of here before they explode!”

“All right,” Shiro agreed. “That sounds like a plan. Freeze them, Allura!”

The Lions separated, and Allura used the Blue Lion’s mouth cannon to freeze the surrounding mines, thus making them much easier to spot. Once they were all frozen, Shiro gave the order to reform Voltron so that you could secure Naxzela.

**************************************

Keith searched frantically for the second Zaiforge cannon that Olia, Matt and the others were trying to secure. “Where is it? Argh! Come on, where _is_ it?”

Eventually, the targeting system locked on the shield surrounding the cannon. “Found you. Here goes nothing!”

He fired, and the Zaiforge cannon charged before sending out the strongest beam he had ever witnessed. It travelled straight and true, across the galaxy, until it finally reached the cannon above Tekk and destroyed the shield surrounding it.

Matt and Olia then managed to take control of the cannon, and Keith confirmed that the Blades were ready to provide the Taujeerians with cover, with Olia advising she was ready to provide backup with the cannon she now controlled.

The Coalition troops launched simultaneous attacks, and it seemed that Shiro’s plan was working. Nearly the entire area was now under Coalition control.

It almost seemed too good to be true.

“Quiznak!” Coran swore. “The communication satellite is back online. Galra distress calls are going through.”

“It doesn’t matter, Coran. They’re too late,” Shiro assured him. “We’ve just about secured Naxzela.”

He spoke too soon.

**************************************

Coran stared at the constellation map with a pleased expression on his face. “It appears that all of the planets we’ve engaged have been pacified, if not totally liberated.”

His smile turned to a frown as Pidge’s ‘Galra-finder’ sounded an alarm. “Wait! There’s another Galra battle cruiser approaching Naxzela.”

“Sector Zarnium-Oh-Four is clear,” Matt announced as the Zaiforge cannon hit its target. He punched several keys on his keypad. “Let me see if I can get a line on that battle cruiser.” 

Gasps of dismay sounded as the Zaiforge cannon lost power without warning. Matt contacted Keith, a hint of urgency in his voice. “Zaiforge cannon Sentharma, are you still operational?”

Keith swore as the second Zaiforge cannon lost power. “Negative.”

“That battle cruiser must have shut them down remotely,” Coran surmised.

“Sorry, Shiro. That’s it for artillery support,” Keith apologised to the Black Paladin. “What should we do about that cruiser?”

Voltron leapt across the surface of Naxzela, evading the fire of the approaching Galra warships. Shiro grunted. “That cruiser’s gonna be too late. Naxzela’s almost secure. We just need to take out the last of the heavy artillery.”

A sudden image popped up on Shiro’s vid-screen, showing an approaching warship which was firing up its ion cannon. “On our left!” he yelled.

Pidge brought up the shield just as the ship fired. After a few tense seconds, the beam was deflected back towards the ship, causing it to explode. Voltron leapt into the sky, Hunk formed the shoulder cannon, and the missiles destroyed what was left of Naxzela’s artillery in a giant fireball.

Everyone watched silently as the planet below them burned.

**************************************

Voltron landed once again upon Naxzela’s surface just as laser fire commenced from the ground. The planet’s surface commenced shaking violently at almost the same time.

“Woah! Did _we_ cause that earthquake?” Lance cried in alarm.

“I don’t think so!” Pidge yelled back, as everyone noted the planet’s surface shifting beneath them.

Hunk’s eyes widened. “Guys, look over there!”

Voltron turned, the team’s attention focused on the towering structures rising from below the ground. The giant robot was dwarfed by them.

“Uh, guys, what are those?” Lance’s voice rose a couple of octaves.

You swallowed nervously. “We’ve never seen anything like this from the Galra before.”

“Are they weapons?” Hunk asked warily.

Pidge sounded surprisingly calm. “They look like some sort of generators.”

“Stay alert,” Shiro cautioned.

“I say we get out of here,” Lance urged, his sense of self-preservation coming to the fore. “Y/N, plot a course for our escape!”

Before you could type in the coordinates, Shiro’s voice sounded again. “Hold on! We should find out what these things are.”

No sooner had he spoken than the generators lit up and activated what at first appeared to be a particle barrier over the planet’s surface.

Voltron was trapped.

Allura’s voice sounded more apprehensive than you had ever heard from the princess. “Do you feel that? That wave of darkness?”

Her query ended in a groan as a sudden crushing weight bore down on Voltron.

“I can’t move Red!” Lance cried, his voice filled with terror.

“Yellow won’t budge either!” Hunk added.

Voltron collapsed to its knees, unable to rise as the weight pressed down even more.

“This energy field is holding us down!” Pidge sounded panicked. “Gravity levels are spiking!”

“We have to get out of here,” Shiro panted. “If we stay here we’ll be crushed. Everyone, we have to focus. Give everything you’ve got, and maybe we can fight through this energy field.”

The team collectively took a deep breath, then concentrated all of their energies into getting Voltron moving again. The mighty robot’s jets flared, and he flew away from Naxzela’s surface, hoping to escape the gravitational pull of the planet’s generators.

Before Voltron could break through the barrier, however, the gravity took hold once again. The robot lost power and crashed onto the ground, pinned down by the force working against it.

Nobody was able to move, although the gravitational pull upon all of you was nowhere near as devastating as it was upon Voltron.

Pidge struggled to sit up. “Maybe if we go down to the surface, Hunk and I can figure out a way to interrupt this energy field.”

“That sounds good except for the zillion robot dudes still kicking down there,” Lance objected.

“We’re going to have to stay in tight formation,” Shiro said. “Watch each other’s backs. Let’s move!”

Everyone exited their Lions, dodging the fire from the Galra sentries as best you could, and hoped that your tech-duo could find a way to get you out of this mess. You, Shiro and Allura guarded Pidge and Hunk from the laser fire with your shields as they attempted to hack into the Galra system, while Lance returned fire upon the Galra troops with his rifle.

“This rod seems to go all the way down into the planet’s core,” Pidge advised. “But I’m not detecting any kind of energy source on the planet that could be causing all of this.”

“Then we’ll need to follow it down into the core,” Allura said.

Hunk managed to open the enormous doors, and the team entered the rod, plummeting down to the planet’s core.

**************************************

As the door at the base of the rod opened, you were greeted by a giant purple orb.

“What is that?” Lance asked, his voice filled with awe.

“This is Zarkon’s witch’s doing,” Allura announced grimly. She walked towards the orb. “The energy I felt… this must be the source.”

Shiro looked up at the ceiling, noting that what appeared to be a giant teludav was embedded there. “Allura, this facility… it looks Altean.”

The princess looked at him seriously. “I’m afraid you’re correct, Shiro.”

She walked toward the orb, and all of you followed. She spoke softly. “This is a decommissioned Altean terraforming plant. Somehow, the witch has been able to reactivate it remotely.”

“Can you shut it down?” Shiro asked.

Allura squared her shoulders determinedly. “I can try.”

She reached towards the orb, a tiny blue spark emanating from her hand. A corresponding purple spark reached from the orb, before a crackle of lightning engulfed her hand. She cried out in pain, trying desperately to stay on her feet.

“Allura!” All of you rushed to hold her steady as she started to collapse. She continued to struggle against the orb, when a sudden jolt of energy pushed all of you backwards, causing you to collapse in a heap.

Lance gently helped the princess sit up. “Are you okay?”  
  
“It’s too powerful,” she said softly.

They turned towards Hunk as he sat up with a groan. He frowned at his hand. “This ground is so weird. It’s so white and powdery. Like ground up rocks or earth.”

He scanned the substance and cried out with alarm. “And hexamite!”

The sound of laser fire brought your attention to the fact that the Galra sentries had found you. Everyone activated their shields, and Lance returned fire with his rifle as Pidge took out one of the sentries with her grappling hook.

“What’s hexamite?” Lance queried. “Some of us _may_ have slept through chemistry!”

“The whole planet is a bomb!” you told him. “One that’s big enough to wipe out several solar systems!”

“It’s under increasing pressure, and when the pressure reaches a certain point, it’s going to explode!” Hunk added. Rather unnecessarily, Lance thought.

“How long do we have?” Shiro pressed.

Hunk fired his cannon. “ _Maybe_ twenty minutes.”

“We have to get off this planet and warn everyone!” Lance decided.

“Anyone within ten solar systems of us is going to get blown to pieces!” Hunk continued.

“They could take out Voltron, the rebels _and_ the Blade of Marmora in one fell swoop,” Allura said.

All of you activated your jetpacks and made your way back to Voltron, hoping desperately that you were not already too late.

**************************************

On Sentharma, Keith was struggling to figure out what to do. “Coran, are there any targets that need support?”  
  
The Altean surveyed the constellation map. “I haven’t heard of anyone needing help. That Galra fleet heading towards Naxzela stopped.”

“Stopped?” Keith and Kolivan stared at each other in bewilderment.

“Yes. Quite a distance away, too!”

“Perhaps the Galra decided it’s too well fortified to attack,” Kolivan surmised.

Keith frowned. “Victory or death is the Galra way. They’d never stop attacking…” He raised his head in realisation. “Voltron!”

Keith’s frantic voice was heard throughout the rebel fleet. “Shiro, can you hear me? Shiro!”

When there was no reply, he reached out with his mind. _‘Y/N? Babe, I need to know what’s going on. Can you hear me?’_

He couldn’t feel you through the life-bond, and he knew that something was terribly wrong.

Coran ran to the comm screen, calling desperately. “Paladins! Allura! What’s happened?” He turned back towards the screen showing the planet below. “It must be the magnetic distortion from Naxzela.”

“I’m gonna check it out. I need a ship,” Keith said, his voice steely. He noticed the Galra fighter below the Zaiforge cannon. “That’ll work.”

**************************************

Keith glared as he flew towards Naxzela. He contacted the team arming the cannon on Tekk. “Matt, something’s wrong. I can’t reach Voltron.”

“We can fly to Naxzela to check on ‘em,” Matt offered.

“No. I need your help. I can’t explain why, but I know we need to attack that fleet.”

Matt’s expression grew puzzled. “I thought the fleet had stopped.”

“It has,” Keith admitted. “But we’re afraid it has something to do with Voltron.”

Matt and the others stood straighter. “We’re with you.”

“Copy that.” Keith smiled to himself. “Good to have you along.”

“I’m coming too!” Coran informed him. “It might take me a while. I’m on the other side of the galaxy, and I don’t have enough of Allura’s energy left to work the teludav.”

“No!” Keith told him. “Stay in position. We might need you back there.”

Keith ended the communication and increased his speed towards the Galra battle cruiser.

**************************************

“Coran! Keith! Do you copy?” Shiro tried once again to reach the other Coalition members, without luck. “Anyone? Hello? Argh! We’ve lost communications. Pidge, can you boost our signal?”

“No! There’s too much electrostatic revulsion!”

“Seventeen minutes left,” Hunk alerted everyone.

“We have to get off this planet,” Allura reminded you. “Immediately!”

Yet again, the team poured all of their energy into moving Voltron, but the crushing weight of gravity was almost more than all of you could bear. Slowly, desperately, the giant robot rose to its feet. To your horror, the ground beneath you cracked immediately, causing Voltron to fall further below the planet’s surface, towards its core.

“Oh no, we’ve fallen even further down!” Lance yelled.

“Fifteen minutes!” Hunk called out.

“No! No, we can’t die here! Not yet!” you cried, your voice filled with tears of rage and frustration. _I can’t die without telling Keith how much I love him…_

You tried reaching out to Keith through the life-bond, but you couldn’t feel him. It seemed as if the barrier surrounding Naxzela really had cut you off from everything.

“Listen, we’ve come through a lot as Voltron,” Shiro said seriously. “We just have to think.”

Lance’s eyes widened as he had a thought. He opened up the vid-screen to the Blue Lion. “Allura, you felt the dark energy when it first started. You have a connection to this magic. I know you can get us out of this somehow. We all saw what you did on the Balmera, and how you power the Castle.”

Allura looked doubtful. “I… I don’t know… I haven’t been trained!”

“No one trained you to save the Balmera, but you did that,” the Blue Paladin reminded her. “I know you can do it. There’s a reason the Blue Lion chose you. You’re the one who brought everyone together. You can do this. Every moment we’ve had together, they’ve all led to this day. This is your destiny. _You_ are the heart of Voltron.”

The princess seemed to gather strength from Lance’s encouragement. “Okay. I’ll try.”

She closed her eyes and concentrated.

Lance’s words seemed to have made all the difference. You felt the moment Allura’s magic coursed through Voltron, providing it with the energy it needed to escape the planet’s surface. With a burst of speed, it flew towards the barrier, and the Red Lion fired its mouth cannon to blast a hole through it, allowing Voltron to leave Naxzela’s atmosphere and head back into space.

“Thank you, Lance,” Allura said softly, and he blushed at her compliment.

“That was all you,” he told her.

His blush deepened as you wrapped him in a tight hug. “You are the best motivator I have ever known, Lance McLain. I am so proud of you.”

“Aw, thanks cutie,” he muttered as he returned your embrace.

Hunk brought you back to reality. “We still need to defuse that bomb!”

**************************************

Shiro tried once again to reach the former Red Paladin. “Keith, can you hear me?”

Keith stared in surprise at the vid-screen on the Galra fighter. “Shiro! Where are you? Is everything okay?”

“Not for long if we don’t stop Zarkon’s witch. She must be aboard that battle cruiser.”

“I’m way ahead of you,” Keith told him. “And I’ve brought some backup.”

“Rebel squad is en route,” Olia informed him as the rebel fleet flew towards the Galra battle cruiser.

“Good to have Voltron back in the fight,” Matt added.

**************************************

Shiro contacted the Castleship. “Coran, you need to get as far away from Naxzela as you can immediately. Pick up any members of the Coalition who are nearby, but go!”

“Why? What’s happening?” Coran asked in a perplexed tone.

“Naxzela is a bomb and it’s about to go off,” Allura replied.

“But what about you?” he cried in alarm.

“We’ll stop it if we can, but we need you to do this,” the princess told him.

“Yes, Princess.”

“Thrusters are at max power!” Lance advised.

Hunk groaned. “I sure hope we make it in time!”

**************************************

Keith grunted as he dodged the incoming fire from the Galra cruiser. “Follow my lead! We’ve gotta break through that shield…”

He was cut off as the wing of his fighter was hit by the laser fire, causing it to short circuit. 

The rebel fleet continued to fire upon the cruiser, unable to break through the particle barrier. Matt’s face appeared on Keith’s vid-screen. “We’ll never penetrate those shields!”

Keith’s face grew determined. “Maybe not with our weapons.”

He reached out to you once more, sending all of his love through the life-bond, hoping that he could reach you one last time. _‘Y/N, I don’t know if you can hear me, or even if you’re willing to listen to me, but… just know that I love you more than life itself.’_

He was shocked when he actually received a reply. _‘Keith, what do you mean? What’s happening?’_

_‘We have to take down that Galra cruiser, no matter what, but we can’t break through the particle barrier with our weapons. I have to do this myself.’_

The realisation of what he was about to do hit you, and he felt your fear. _‘Keith, no! Please, don’t do this! There has to be another way! We’re nearly there! We’ll think of something, Pidge can figure something out…’_

_‘No! There isn't time. It has to be this way. This is my choice. I love you, Y/N. To the moon and back. Just remember that.’_

**************************************

“Keith! KEITH!” You cried out aloud as you tried to wrench control of the Red Lion froma rather startled Lance.

“Y/N, what are you doing?” he asked, noting with alarm the tears streaming down your face.

“Keith is about to sacrifice himself to take down that cruiser! I need to get to him!”

Lance grabbed your arms as you fought for control of Red. “Y/N, no! Voltron will never get there in time!”

Ignoring your struggles, Lance held you firmly, his embrace tightening as you collapsed to the floor in hysterics. He murmured into your hair that everything was going to be all right, even as he tried to convince himself that he was telling the truth.

**************************************

Steeling himself, Keith thrust the controls forward, pushing the fighter as fast as it would go towards the barrier protecting the Galra ship.

Matt also seemed to realise what Keith was about to do, and cried out. “Keith, what are you doing? Keith! No!”

 _‘Keith! Please, Keith, don’t do this! I love you!’_ He could hear the anguish in your thoughts, but it only made him more determined to save you. All of you.

Keith closed his eyes, trying to hold onto the memory of your face as he braced for the impact.

Suddenly, the battle cruiser exploded as it was hit by laser fire from an incoming fighter.

Keith opened his eyes in shock, pulling up at the last second in order to avoid being hit by the fireball emanating from the stricken Galra cruiser.

The strange jet fired again, and the energy surrounding the cruiser dissipated, causing the barrier covering Naxzela to collapse.

Coran whooped. “Naxzela is returning to normal! You did it!”

“Good work, Keith,” Shiro congratulated him softly, aware of the action that Keith had been prepared to take in order to bring down the battle cruiser.

“It wasn’t me,” Keith said slowly, causing everyone to start with surprise that he was still alive. “It was Lotor. The cannon on his ship was the only thing powerful enough to take down that shield.”

“Attention, Paladins of Voltron and rebel fighters,” came the Galra prince’s silky tones. “I know we’ve had our differences in the past, but I think it is time we had a discussion.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh noes, not another cliffhanger!
> 
> Oh, yes, dear readers. This is where we leave you, hanging in suspense until we post Part 4. *insert evil laugh here*
> 
> I just want to send you all loves and hugs. Thanks so much for the comments and kudos on this entire series to date. It means a lot to me that you're all enjoying this. We all need something to smile about at the moment, so I'm glad I can bring you a little bit of joy. Take care, and I'll see you all for Part 4!


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